


My Heart to Yours

by Ennaiel



Series: My Heart to Yours [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Dimension Travel, Eventual Romance, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Mild Gore, Multi, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-24 04:46:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 29,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21332491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ennaiel/pseuds/Ennaiel
Summary: When the sea decided to meet their fates, will their hearts connect as well?A roller coaster adventure of a girl who was thrown into a foreign world and an emotionally immovable pirate.
Relationships: Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Original Character(s), Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Original Female Character(s), Izou/Thatch (One Piece)
Series: My Heart to Yours [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1678858
Comments: 8
Kudos: 103





	1. Secrets of the Sea

**Author's Note:**

> This work was powered by my love for One Piece and its characters which of course belongs to its brilliant owner.  
I own majority of this work's plot, some part had been adapted from the original story arc.  
The OC is part of my ideas and other names which aren't part of One Piece.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this story and give you a little bit of butterflies.  
Comments and suggestions are very much welcome.

The ocean looks calm tonight, he thought as he made his rounds, making sure Moby Dick is sailing smoothly. Marco loved nights like this, serene and peaceful, hopefully it will stay that way for the rest of the night despite sailing in the treacherous waters of the Grand Line.

“Tonight is a good night for sake” Pops mumbled as his first mate walked towards his huge chair on the deck.

“It is but you shouldn’t be drinking and it’s already past your bedtime Pops” Marco reminded him as he checked the IV lines connected to his captain.

“Gurarara, let me stay here a little longer” His father boomed. Marco sat beside him and watched as their crewmates on the deck dwindle and descend to their quarters until no one but them are left on the deck. It was a little ritual they had when Whitebeard was feeling well and they would stay on deck to watch the sky, the stars and the sea.

“You know Marco” Pops poured himself a cup of sake and drank “These are the nights when the sea will say something to you”  
Marco kept silent and poured himself a cup as well, “Nights when the sea will give away its secrets and you should listen well”

“You’ve heard its secrets before Pops?”

“I sure did, but it was a long long time ago” Whitebeard chuckled, “Heard that one of the crewmembers would get married this fall”

“Yeah, it’s from Namur’s division.” Recently, lot of their crew had asked Pop’s blessing to leave the ship and get married. They would usually settle on one of their islands and work as land crew who will protect the island from other pirates.

“You know Marco, it isn’t too late for you to start a family”

“And leave you wheezing over these pain-in-the-ass pirates? I’d rather not and I’m too old to have a wife and children”

Pops laughed, “We both know that you’ve stopped aging ever since you ate that Zoan devil fruit of yours. You have been with me for the longest time I started this family, it would be a wish granted if you will have one of your own”

Marco grimaced, he hated it when Pops talks like he’s going to disappear soon and especially when he says things like this out of concern for him.  
“You are my family Pops, I am happy with this family, I don’t think I could have another with this line of work we have”

“Hmmm, I see”

Marco felt that his father has something else to say but didn’t prod. Pops does not like meddling but he gives the best advice when you need it. They sat in comfortable silence for a while when Pops finished his sake and stood up 

“Well, I’m off to bed now. Don’t stay up late kiddo.” Pops ruffled Marco’s blonde hair with a grin and went to his room dragging his IV with him with the help of his nurses

“Good Night Pops”

He drank the rest of the sake and took his time walking to his quarters, Pops was right it was a good night. He entered his room and took a seat on his desk which was full of reports and maps that needed to be reviewed. He liked to work better when he was relaxed, it makes working through the stacks of paper more bearable.  
Just as he finished reading Ace’s report on their recent supply run, there was a hurried knock on his door. Marco removed his glasses and opened the door.

“Commander Marco, you should come and see this” his crewmate on night watch looked perplexed and sounded urgent

Marco followed his crew mate on the deck and saw that most of the commanders and some of the crew are on the side railings on the right side of the ship. They’re looking at something in the sea. 

“What’s happening?” Marco asked Vista who was still in his robe and slippers obviously woken up in a hurry

“There’s a sea king” Vista pointed at the lone monster about a few hundred meters from the ship

“A sea king?”

“Yeah, it’s been swimming for a while now near the ship” Ace yawned beside him.

“That’s a rare sighting, this part of the Grand Line is far from the Calm Belt” Vista commented “It’s also a huge one”

Marco agreed with him, the sea king indeed looked larger than the Lord of the Coast. It was treading carefully on the surface and was looking at the Moby Dick warily. They could hear growls from time to time. Sea Kings don’t usually attack their ship as the hull was lined with sea stone which keeps them safe from attacks from these creatures.

“What do you think it’s doing?” Thatch appeared behind the group, he also just woke up as evidenced by his banana pajamas apparently given by Izou and his usual pompadour was styled to a simple ponytail.

“I don’t know but it’s getting closer to the ship. Should I go with Striker and burn it?” Ace asked his first mate

“It’s not doing anything yet. And I don’t think he looks like a threat” Thatch defended, he had a soft spot for sea creatures despite being a chef, he often had difficulty killing seafood.

“Oh come on Thatch, it’s a freaking sea king. It can eat you whole and you will die in agony as it digests you slowly on its stomach” Ace argued

“You are seriously destroying the ecosystem if you kill him”

“There’s a lot of those things in the Calm Belt and Fishman Island. It won’t matter if this one disappears, you could even cook it for breakfast if you want”

Ace and Thatch continued arguing behind them. Marco and Vista watched the sea king who was slowly treading towards the ship

“What do you want to do Marco? I’ve never seen a sea king act like this.”

“Me either” Marco was thinking of a reasonable action when he remembered what Pops said hours before -These are the nights when the sea will give away it secrets-

“Look you moron!!” Ace yelled at Thatch and stood on the railing “There are no such thing as good sea kings! I am going to prove to you that you’re wrong!!”

“Uh Ace”

“You aint going to stop me, I will fight the fucking thing!”

“Ace”

“What?!”

“Turn around”

Ace just did and he felt the blood drain from his face. The sea king now towered the Moby, shocking the inhabitants with its sheer size. It was growling loudly and was looking at the crew as if it’s observing them

“What the hell?” Ace whispered a scream “It’s huge”

“Now look at what you’ve done! You taunted it” Thatch told him

The sea king growled again. It was a magnificent creature for Marco, its black scales were shiny from the water now gleaming in the moonlight. Its teeth were probably as tall as Jozu, lining its large mouth. Its yellow eyes were still staring at them intently. And slowly it lowered down its head until it came eye to eye with Marco. For some reason, it felt like the creature was not dangerous and it looked like it wanted to tell him something. He slowly raised his hand and reached out.

“Hey Marco—“The others warned but they just stood in awe as they watch Marco place his hand on the sea king’s head

-secrets of the sea huh? - He thought

“I think there’s something in his mouth” Vista looked at the monster’s half open mouth. Marco turned his attention towards its mouth and looked at the sea king again

“May I?” he asked and as if it understood him, it opened his mouth wide that made Ace and Thatch scream.

The commanders peaked inside to see an unconscious young lady inside.

Ace yelled at Thatch, “See! I told you this thing is evil, he ate a girl!!” then he put his arm on fire, ready to incinerate the monster but Vista held him by the shoulder, “Wait”

“Marco! What are doing?! It’s going to eat you!” Thatch exclaimed as Marco slowly reached inside to get the woman, being careful not to be stabbed or pierced by the sharp teeth. As soon as he took her out, the sea king closed its mouth and towered over the ship again, it watched as the phoenix laid her onto the deck using Vista’s robe as a blanket. He placed his hand on her neck and felt a faint heartbeat.

“Goodness is she alive? I guess that’s why it was not diving. It was keeping her on the surface.” the swordsman asked as everyone gathered to look at their visitor then moved away again when the sea king growled at them as if telling them to move away.

“I’ll go wake Odette” Thatch ran towards the infirmary

“She’s breathing but she has hypothermia” The first mate checked for any injuries on the lady, disregarding the fact that she was only wearing a thin dress. She was small or petite as Izou would call it, she had jet black hair that flowed until her shoulders and to Marco’s chagrin he found her quite attractive. When he made sure that she had no wounds, he wrapped her with Vista’s robe and lifted her. Behind them, the sea king growled and made a gesture as if its bowing its head then dived into the bottom of the ocean.

They quickly rushed her to the infirmary and was greeted by a grumpy just-woke-up Odette

“Why the hell did you wake me up at 3 in the morni—Ohh” she looked at the woman they are carrying, “What happened? Who’s this??” she asked and led them to a spare bed and laid her there

“A sea king brought her” Ace explained

“A sea king? Oh god, she’s cold. Get me some blankets” Odette instructed the nurses and turned back to the patient to check her vitals “Her breathing and heartbeat are weak, she must be out in the water for a while.” 

Once the blankets were in her arms, she handed it to Ace, “Warm these a bit, but don’t set it on fire.”

The fire user hugged the blankets and slowly raised his body temperature 

“Will she make it through?” Thatch asked

“She’d better be, her hypothermia is really bad. Her fingertips and lips are blue and she’s not shivering anymore meaning her body stopped generating body heat.” Odette took the blankets from Ace and started to undress the girl’s wet dress.

She turned to see the 4 male commanders staring, “What are you perverted morons still doing here? Get out, I will not undress a woman in front of you. Now out!” 

“But it was getting to the good part” Thatch whined as Vista dragged him and Ace out of the infirmary. 

“Please inform me when you’re done and when she wakes up” Marco said

“Will do Commander, now shoo and report this to Pops”

A few hours later, they anchored near the shore of a small uninhabited island to wait for their sister ships and all 16 commanders who then gathered in Pop’s quarters once they were complete.

“So we have no idea who she is?” Namur asked

“I have checked all logs and bounty posters, it seems that she is not a pirate. There were no missing records of a girl with her description on the marine database or celestial dragons either.” Haruta who was tasked to look for clues of her identity shrugged.

Everyone was in emergency mode, for all they knew, the woman could be a spy from the marines or enemies.

“Or she could be a mermaid washed away by the sea after she traded her voice for legs, maybe an angel who fell from heaven.” Thatch answered and immediately received a punch from Izou

“You idiot. Well anyways, the sea king passed by our ship last night however it did not make any attempt to approach us.” Izou reported

“She might be just a civilian or someone who ran from slavers, you said it looked like the sea king was keeping her alive?” Jozu turned to Vista and the swordsman nodded

“Hmm, this seems peculiar indeed” Pops said, “I have never seen that type of sea king you described to me”

“It was freaking huge” Ace exclaimed and Thatch snickered, “Were you scared Acey?”

“Hey you were as scared as I was!”

“No I wasn’t, you were closer to shitting your pants!”

“Boys” Pops halted their argument before it even starts. He turned to Marco, “How is she?”

“According to Odette, she’s stable now, her hypothermia had subsided however she’s still unconscious”

Everyone was full of questions, even Marco, in his 40 years of existence, he had never had this experience either. It bugged him that he was urged to shake the girl awake.

“We have no choice but to wait for her to wake up. We cannot just assume everything” Pops decided.


	2. Blue

Acelia awoke to see an unfamiliar ceiling and the feeling of a rocking and swaying as if she’s in a boat.

-This is definitely not home, is this a dream? - She thought as she sat up, she felt very weak and dizzy but subsided after a while. She studied her surroundings which was illuminated by a few lamps. She was alone in the small room, only the night stand and the bed as its furniture. The windows in the room showed a view of the night sky which to her looked like it was moving and she could actually hear waves in the distance. At the moment she perceived everything as a dream, a vivid dream. She thought of the dreams in articles which said that there are dreams where you are conscious and can control the environment.

-Be a little realistic, this feels too real to be a dream-

Acelia was thankful to see a glass of water on her bedside, she felt parched. She then removed the IV line attached to her arm and covered the puncture with cotton she found on the night stand.

-Am I in a hospital??- As she stood up, and staggered as she fell back on the bed, her legs felt weak. She slowly stood up and felt the rocking and swaying motion more, she also noticed that she was wearing a white night gown, apparently too long for her. She went to the door and opened to see another room, it seemed like she was in a sort of clinic and it was huge enough to fit at least 50 people at the same time however the beds were empty. There were medicine cabinets filled with medicine, bandages and surgical equipment.

Acelia found what seems to be the door out, she turned the knob and creaked it open. Her breath was immediately taken away when the vast wide ocean greeted her. She slowly walk out bare foot onto the deck of the huge ship she was in. Her heart stopped for a moment out of excitement and she ran towards the rails taking it all in.

* * *

  
Marco was at the crow’s nest north of the ship talking to Deuce who was tonight’s watch when he noticed a white figure come out of the infirmary and walk out into the main deck  
“Commander?” Deuce asked the commander who suddenly jumped out of the nest and momentarily showed the blue flicker of his wings to help his landing. He walked towards the main deck to see the girl they found a few nights ago staring at the ocean, the sea breeze billowing her hair looking like she came out of a painting.

“How are you feeling??” He asked and found himself staring at pretty brown eyes, widened with shock.

Acelia stared at the handsome blonde man behind her and he had the most mesmerizing blue eyes she’d ever seen. He was wearing an unbuttoned shirt showing full pack abs and a huge chest tattoo.

“Who?—Who are you?”

“My name is Marco, Welcome aboard the Moby Dick”

“Well that’s a nice name for you but that is a weird name for a ship”

Marco chuckled, “I guess it is” and Acelia just stared at him

“This is a dream isn’t it?” she asked then suddenly she blacked out. Fortunately, the perplexed Marco caught her just in time before her head hit the deck.

“Commander!” Deuce called out from the crow’s nest, “Is she alright?”

Marco noticed that the girl was sweating coldly, her face and once cherry red lips had turned pale.

“She just fainted, probably walked immediately after waking up” he yelled back

“Should I call Odette?”

“No need, I’ll take care of her”

The phoenix carried her back in the infirmary and laid her on the bed. He wiped the sweat on her forehead then took a cotton with aseptic solution and a new IV needle from the cabinet then proceeded to attach the IV line to her vein again. After a while, a rosy color returned to her cheeks and lips. Relieved, he went out of the infirmary before even he could kiss those lips.

-Idiot- he thought to himself as he went back to his quarters, he was probably just a little bit deprived. At his age, it was quite easy for him to suppress his urges and won’t jump at any woman he would see. Unlike Thatch, he doesn’t consider satisfying his sexual urges as a need. He had lived long enough without a partner ever since he and Whitey Bay separated years ago. This is the first time Marco felt this kind of desire again and it nagged him that the girl might just be half his age.

Removing the annoying thought from his head, he settled for bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooh. My heart was really jumping when I did this chapter.  
I hope you enjoyed.  
Please leave any comments or suggestions as well as corrections! They're highly appreciated


	3. Where in the world?

Acelia woke up again to the unfamiliar ceiling she saw last night together with a throbbing headache. She noticed that the room was a little bit brighter as the sunlight filled the windows of the room.

-am I still dreaming?-

“Unfortunately you are not” A soothing voice reverberated beside her and she turned to see a woman dressed in a kimono-like garb smile at her. She realized that she must have said it out loud.

“Where am I?”

“You are in Moby Dick, currently sailing in the Grand Line”

“Moby Dick?” She asked and thought that she heard the name before.

Izou almost raised his eyebrow, the Moby Dick has been well known for being Whitebeard’s ship, one of the most powerful pirates in this age. Not knowing it may indicate that she may be from a secluded island or some other reason along the line.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling fine, just a little headache”

“It’s a good thing you’re awake. You been out cold for 5 days now.” Izou poured her a glass of water as the girl sat up looking horrified

“5 days???” She exclaimed. Her friends and family must be worried and at that moment it all came flooding in her mind

“Do you remember what happened to you? We found you uhm—washed out near our ship” Izou asked

“I was—visiting an island with my friends. Then I—I think we went diving” Acelia explained, trying to remember the details. She remembered her friends dragging her to a vacation island to try to get her off her nerves from her exams. They took her to diving into the reefs then ohh—it struck her

“I was dragged by a rip tide” She continued, she could still remember the pressure on her lungs and the pain in her arms when she tried to swim from it and after that she could not remember anymore

Izou felt pity as well as worry, riptides are very dangerous and she was lucky this girl was saved despite being dragged into the deeper part of the ocean. She may have been through a lot and could have drowned. “I’m sorry to hear that, but you’re safe now and you’ve recovered. Do you have a headache? Here drink this” The pirate handed her a glass of water and some medicine which she gratefully drank

“May I ask for your name?”

“Acelia, Acelia Idamaria” She politely answered

“Hello Acelia, my name is Izou. Do you feel like eating? How about let’s get you changed into something more comfortable and then I’ll get you something to eat”

Acelia just nodded and Izou then helped her to stand up, which was hard as she still felt weak. The woman helped her wash her body and face. Acelia was embarrassed, she had never had someone wash her body. When they finished cleaning her, Izou left her to change her clothes.

“I’ll just go get your breakfast okay? Just stay put. If you feel something, just yell and someone will come and help you” With a smile, she left.

She started changing as soon as the beautiful woman left. She was thankful that there was a change of underwear included. She put on the baby blue dress that reached up to her ankles then slipped on the sandals that was included. She proceeded to tidy her bed and fold the clothes she used.

Acelia noted that she should ask for a phone too to contact her friends and family, they must be worried. Hopefully, she could ask her benefactors to drop her on the nearest island with an airport where they could pick her up when she recovers. She felt weak and hungry. She sat back down and drank more water.

Izou returned moments late with a man with the most ridiculous pompadour holding a metal tray. The smell of food filled Acelia’s nose that made her mouth water.  
Izou was standing by the door way and smiled at her, “It’s a good thing the dress fitted you, I apologize, it was the only dress we had your size. We don’t have much female crew on the ship.”

“It’s alright, I really appreciate it”

“You must be hungry, Thatch here cooked you something”

“Hello beautiful” The man called Thatch smiled at Acelia coyly and Izou hit him with her fan

“Stop being a jerk and serve. She hasn’t eaten anything for days.”

“Alright, stop being stingy.”

Thatch put on the bed a bed table and served her a bowl of soup

“Let’s start with some seafood chowder. It’s a thick soup to start your appetite and help your stomach adjust because you hadn’t eaten in a while, there’s just a few bits of pieces of fish and shrimp” He smiled

“Thank you” Acelia said and took a sip of the soup and it tasted like heaven. “This tastes delicious!” she exclaimed

Izou and Thatch smiled, “Make sure to eat all of it but slowly” Izou reminded. When she was about halfway finishing the soup, Thatch served her another dish  
“It’s baked chicken breast with lemon and avocado oil, just to give you a little more protein”

While eating, they talked about some things about food then Acelia told them her requests of a phone and the route to the nearest island with an airport and they seemed not to understand it. They shifted to ask Acelia some questions.

“So, what island are supposed to be staying in??” Thatch asked

“Uhm, It’s a small vacation island in the Caribbean” Acelia replied

“In which sea is that located? East Blue? West Blue? Or perhaps in the Grand Line??”

Acelia was confused, she had never heard those places before. Now she’s wondering where that godforsaken riptide had dragged her. “It’s a group of islands called Bahamas. It’s located in the Atlantic ocean”

This time the two looked at her funny and Izou only said, “I see, we’ll leave you to eat quietly without this goof disturbing you. I’ll be back again later”

“Okay, thank you for the food” Acelia just said and she was alone again in the room

* * *

Just as Izou opened the door, she saw Ace and Marco waiting outside

“I think the girl’s crazy” Thatch said

“The poor girl’s been dragged by a riptide, she may just be a little disoriented” Izou considered

“What’s wrong?” Marco asked

“She’s been asking about a cellphone? I don’t know that is. Also an airport? I don’t think we have an island with one of those” Izou replied

“She also said she came from and island called the Bahamas in an ocean called Atlantic. I think she’s nuts” Thatch scratched his head

“She had no idea that she’s been lead to us by a sea king?” Ace asked

“Apparently not, but I’ll transmit to Haruta everything she said, he may be able to find something” Izou shook his head

“Alright, keep an eye on her, we’ll take her to talk to Pops when she’s well enough” Marco instructed

* * *

The food was divine and she just sat there feeling contented. Acelia’s hoping Izou would come with a phone because she’s dying to talk to her parents. After a few minutes woman in a white coat entered the room.

“My name is Odette. How are you feeling?” She asked “I’m doing great.”

“I apologize, I wasn’t able to check on you when you woke up. There is some bloke outside who had his stomach slashed and his guts falling out” The doctor sighed and checked her vitals. “You’re doing well for someone who almost drowned and suffered from extreme hypothermia. Thankfully, you had no injuries aside from a few bruises. Checked your lungs and all the sea water was expelled when you were washed out.”

She glanced at the empty bowls on her bed side “And you’re eating too. I’ll take you off the IV now, just drink lots of water”. Acelia flinched when the needle was removed, the doctor then placed a gauze and a bandage.

“If you feel like it, you can try to walk around for fresh air but don’t overdo it. You can ask one of the nurses outside for assistance. I’ll check on you again tomorrow”

“Thank you doctor”

“Just call me Odette”

Acelia let out a sigh of relief when she left. She can’t believe she actually survive this ordeal. Maybe a walk outside would be nice. For some reason she had a vague memory that she went out last night and met a handsome blond man with sea blue eyes. But she shrugged it off, maybe seeing him just a dream.  
Her eyelids were getting heavy and she decided to sleep for the rest of the day.


	4. Ace

The next morning, Thatch visited her with another tray of delicious food

“Menu for the morning is broccoli soup and salmon garlic sandwich. You were asleep the whole day yesterday, you didn’t taste my menu for lunch and dinner” The pompadour smiled, this time he stayed until she finished eating. He was fun to talk with despite the strange behavior he showed yesterday and despite being a little flirt.

“Are you guys a troupe?” She finally asked

“A troupe? Oh you mean like a circus? Oh no” Thatch laughed, “We’re pirates. Whitebeard pirates”

“Pirates?” She had heard about pirates still present in the Caribbean but they are more like highjackers than kind people like them. She just thought that he’s joking

“Is Whitebeard the name of your captain?”

“Yes but we usually call him Pops, you’ll get to see him when you get better”

She spent the rest of the day reading some books Izou brought her, she was a little bit disappointed that she did not bring the phone but Acelia didn’t want to impose.

Later in the afternoon, she decided to go for a walk. She shakily stood up, and waited until she could balance herself without crashing her head. She slowly walked and opened the door connected to the clinic she saw the night before but this time, there were a few women dressed in pink nurse outfits.

They looked at her for a moment then smiled at her politely. “Do you need help?”

She smiled back, “No need, I’m just going to walk around” and headed towards the door. As she opened it, the sunlight made her squint but she saw the same breathtaking view she saw last night. The sun was setting and the orange hue mixed with the ocean.

“I could never get enough of this” she sighed

Acelia observed the busy deck, it stirred her as weird as the men on the ship were not wearing uniforms like what she had usually seen and they were looking at her oddly as well. They were wearing different types of clothing and a similar tattoo that she had recognized in the back of her mind. There were no cargo boxes as well, or fighter jets or anything. It’s not like the ships she had seen, it was older fashioned. The main mast was huge as it was supporting large white sails billowing in the wind. On top of the three masts, there were black flags with a drawing of a white skull with a crescent moon beard. 

She just dismissed her assumptions thinking they’re just a sailing troupe and continued walking. Little did she notice the pair of blue eyes watching her from the main crow’s nest.

In the middle of the ship, there was a circle with giant steps that looked like a mini arena to her. In the middle is a sleeping white large dog.

-I’ve never seen that breed before- she thought. Although she would like to touch its fur, she did not attempt to move closer to it. As far as she knows, it might be hostile to visitors. She was about to return to her room when a half-naked man in cargo shorts approached her. He was wearing this weird orange hat on top of his black unkempt hair.

“You could touch him you know” He said

“Uhm-I’d rather not”

“He looks like a brute but he’s a softie inside” The man whistled and the dog stood up and ran towards him. To her surprise, the dog was large that it reached up to her waist and had a crescent shaped beard.

“His name is Stefan, he’s a Great Pyrenees” The man took her hand and put it on top of the dogs head, Acelia started scratching behind his ears. When she stopped, the dog jumped on her wanting more scratches, she laughed and stroked the dog’s head again.

“Hey buddy, don’t jump on her, she’s still sick” The man dragged Stefan off her and stretched his hand.

“I’m Ace by the way, Portgas D. Ace”. She took his hand and stood up, “Acelia Idamaria”

“You feeling good?”

“Yes, thank you for your hospitality” 

“Let Stefan and I walk you to your room”


	5. I Remember your Name

She jolted awake upon the sound of shouting, footsteps and the loud firing of cannons and guns. Acelia immediately stood up to see the infirmary filled with injured people.

Odette and the others were busy tending them. She ran outside to see the commotion, everyone was running around carrying cannon balls towards the cannons on deck. There were firing on another ship just a few meters from Moby Dick. She could see the crew crossing towards the enemy ship and unsheathing their swords to fight.

A cannon fired from the opposite ship but fortunately someone grabbed her before it almost got her head “Wha—“

“You’re not supposed to be out here” Strong hands pulled her up, she turned to see the blonde man with blue eyes she saw the other night. She wasn’t dreaming after all.

“Help this man to the infirmary. Go back inside, it isn’t safe” It finally sink in to her brain the danger she was in and followed his order. Acelia dragged the injured man into the infirmary with all her strength and put him into the nearest bed.

With all the medical personnel busy, they will not be able to assist this man who has a large gash on his chest and is bleeding profusely. She ripped a part of her dress and pressed it on the wound. Now is the time to put her medical skills to work, she’s a medical student for goodness’ sake. Gathering all her wits and slapping herself to focus, she went to get the materials she needed to close his wound.

Odette called out to her as Acelia grabbed the anesthetic bottle, suture and other supplies from the medicine cabinet

“What are you doing?”

“Please let me help, you are not going to make it with this many patients.”

“Are you a doctor?” She asked

“Medical student”

“Okay, a doctor. I really need a pair of hands at the moment, Can you work without assistance?”

“Yes” Acelia was urged to yell her answers out of urgency because maybe the Odette still plans to ask an entire job interview

“Alright get to work!”

Acelia proceeded to the man she carried earlier, “This will hurt and I beg you to please bear with it” and the man only groaned. She filled the syringe will anesthetic and punctured it near the wound. She cleared all the dried blood and blotted the wound with gauze, wishing that there was at least a sucking tube but she had to work with what was available. She checked if there were any damaged internal organs and started suturing the membrane, the muscle and the skin, her fingers were trembling but she continued to keep it steady.

Once she was done she called out to a nearby nurse, “Get this man’s data, he needs at least 3 units of blood, cross match and transfuse it immediately”

The nurse was at first shocked that a stranger gave her orders but she nodded, “Understood”

The cannons and the fighting had already subsided but she did not notice, she moved on to the next patient who had a fracture.

* * *

“Those sea stone bullets gave us a pain-in-the-ass” Ace exclaimed. They were able to sink the ship that they had identified as one of Kaido’s ships. They are sitting in Pops’ quarters who is currently having his morning coffee

“They came prepared” Jozu agreed

“How many were injured? Any ship damage?” Pops asked

“About 25, 10 had major injuries. As for Moby, it’s holding well.”

“Good, stay alert. They might ambush us again”

Marco left the room and cracked his neck, he was tired but he could not afford to rest. Not after the heart attack the woman gave him when he saw her almost hit by a cannon ball. It’s almost daybreak and the rest of the crew are cleaning up. He walked towards the infirmary and was surprised to see the woman with a bloody torn dress treating the injured. She was wrapping a bandage around the broken arm of his crewmate.

“One kind of a gal she is” Odette said and stood beside him as they observed her.

“Is she a doctor?”

“She said she’s a medical student, but she handled these idiots like a pro” Odette jabbed his side, “We should keep her, I could use another skilled doctor on board.”

-And the way you’re looking at her- The doctor thought but she didn’t bother saying it. After Acelia finished bandaging, Odette approached her, “You did well, and you should go wash up and rest”

“But—“

“No buts, you’re still a patient and you’re recovering. The nurses and I will handle this. This man here will take you to the shower room” She pointed at the blonde man who was standing by the doorway.

Acelia felt a little thump the moment their eyes met. They did not notice the doctor smirking at them. Odette handed her a change of clothes. “Change into these, that dress is worse for the wear.”

She took the clothes and followed the man named Marco outside. The sun was almost out in the horizon as they walked across the deck.

“Thank you for saving me” Acelia said, without turning back to her, Marco replied “You’re welcome, you should be careful next time”

He had led her to a shower room in the cabins near the stern of the ship.

“This is the commanders’ shower room, there’s no separate shower rooms for males and females because most of us are males but there are many stalls so just pick one and lock it properly”

“Yes, thank you”

“Do you want me to wait for you or you can go back to the infirmary on your own?”

To be honest, she didn’t want him to leave but rationality took over her “I can go back on my own. Thank you Marco”

“I’m flattered you remembered my name. See you around miss” he smiled then he left.

Acelia settled in one of the stalls and started scrubbing off the blood and dirt on her body. This was not the vacation she wanted, she could not help but wonder what happened  
last night. Her hands are still trembling. She wasn’t aware that wars still happen in the sea. At this point, she just wants to go home. She headed back to her room, fatigue and sleep overcoming her.


	6. A new home

Acelia awoke in the afternoon of the next day, with a tray of food on her bedside table. Famished, she quickly ate it. Carrying her tray, she headed out to return it to Thatch, she passed by the infirmary and checked on the patients who, according to the nurses are recovering properly. Just as she left the infirmary, she bumped into Izou. “Where are you going? I was about to fetch you” she asked

“I’m going to return this to Thatch” Acelia said, holding out the tray

“No need, Pops wants to see you” Izou plucked the tray from her hands and gave it to the crew who just passed by. Izou led her to a big cabin near the helm and was shocked to see many people including Ace, Thatch and the blonde man waiting. And in the middle of a big bed, sat a very large man with a crescent moon shaped beard.

“You must be Acelia, forgive me for getting familiar. Izou and Thatch told me you name. I’m the captain of this ship. My name is Edward Newgate, also known as Whitebeard.” The big man said with a booming voice

“Yes, I am Acelia Idamaria. I thank you very much for saving me and for your hospitality”

“I should be the one thanking you for saving my crew last night. Would you tell us where you live Acelia? As a gift of thanks we would like to bring you to your hometown”

“Ohh no need, if you would just lend me a cellphone and drop me off the nearest island with an airplane I think I can manage”

“No we insist. What island are you in?”

“Uhm I live in Australia?”

“Hmm, I am not familiar with this Australia. Can you give me a specific point in the map so we can plan a route? Haruta, show her the world map” Whitebeard instructed and a small boy held a big rolled up piece of paper and spread it on the table in the middle of the room.

Acelia looked at the map and was immediately confused. This was not the map she was familiar with. She was about to ask the boy if it was the right map when the captain spoke again.

“This is not your map, isn’t it?”

She shook her head, “As I suspected. Acelia, you are not from this world aren’t you?”

“What? What do you mean?” She asked

“What my captain means is you are from another world or some sort of dimension” Marco explained

At first, she thought it was rubbish but she remembered Thatch saying that they were pirates, is this actually true? That they are not a circus show?

“I—I don’t know, I don’t know how I got here” She stammered

“A week ago we found you in the ocean, you were brought to us by a sea king, a large serpent like creature” Whitebeard said

Acelia could not believe it. Her hands are already trembling from anxiety. But the more she thought of it, the more it made sense. Looking at each one of them, it seemed like they were not joking. What the hell has she gotten herself into?? Was it from she was dragged by the riptide?

“I know it’s a lot to take in, we have no answers for your questions either but nonetheless we are going to help you. You are welcome to stay in the Moby Dick until you find answers as to why you’re sent here”

* * *

Acelia settled into the bed of her new room. From the extra room in the infirmary, she was transferred to one of the empty commander’s rooms.

“Since Izou moved in to Thatch’s room a few months ago, it’s been empty so you can use it.” Ace explained when he led her to the room. It’s a relatively bigger room than before, it now has a desk with a lamp light, a cabinet and a larger bed.

As soon as Ace left her, tears spilled. She could not believe it, what about her family, her friends? She still has med school. The people who saved her felt to her as genuine people  
and will not lie to her. But she is utterly stunned, what is she going to do? Where will she go? She can’t be imposing to these good people for long.

After crying herself to sleep for the past few hours, Acelia decided to take an evening shower. Izou was kind enough to put some spare clothes and necessities on her cabinet. Clutching the towel and change of clothes, she went to the shower room and discovered that she wasn’t alone because one of the stalls’ showers were on. It might be one of the commanders and she took heed of what the Marco said. So she locked the stall and started to shower. The hot water calmed her nerves and hopefully subside her puffy eyes. She didn’t take long and changed but then she realized she left her bra.

After mentally facepalming herself, she contemplated her next step, her room was two rooms from the shower room and nobody would actually notice that she had no bra right?  
She put on her night dress and gathered her things and walked out of the stall to see Marco who was only wearing a towel on his waist.

“Ohh—uhm hi” she muttered, face probably red from embarrassment. She clutched her things to her chest hoping he wouldn’t notice.

“Hello” The blonde man said, who was looking at her at first shocked and then amused. She tried to avoid gazing at those broad sculpted shoulders and full pack abs but who wouldn’t?

“I must be going now, good night” She said and ran out to her room. She was thankful that she didn’t meet anyone else. She quickly put on her bra and groaned, wishing he never noticed.

Back in the shower room, Marco was smirking. Was she aware that her night dress was see through?


	7. And so it begins

Whitebeard was already up at dawn. Looking at reports Marco had brought to him last night, the girl who was named Acelia did not leave his mind.

He had lived for a while to know that some far-fetched idea of being transported to another world was not impossible.

He had only known one person who had the same case as hers and maybe the seas had a reason to leave her to his care. Deciding to keep her in the ship took a long deliberation with his commanders, ruling out the doubts that she might be a spy from the marines or enemies.

There was suddenly a small knock on his door, “Come in”

Acelia gingerly entered the captain’s cabin. “Sorry to interrupt you sir, I was just taking a stroll then I saw your lights on and I was hoping I could talk to you”

-Such a gentle child, she’s probably barely just a teenager- he thought, “No need to apologize, I’ve been meaning to speak with you as well. Take a seat” Whitebeard gestured at the settee near his bed

“You’re probably having a hard time taking this in. At the moment, we have no idea how to take you home. I apologize“

“Oh no, I am actually grateful for taking me in. I have nowhere else to go” Acelia shook her head

“Hmm, if it’s a good option for you, we could drop you off to one of our protected islands where you can stay. As long as you want of course.”

“Actually, I came here to ask of you to take me with you. I want to look for answers myself and—” she blushed and continued softly, “I want to travel and sail”

Whitebeard laughed, -got guts I must say- “Gurarara—we are more than happy to welcome a new member to our family”

“Just like that?” She was shocked, she did not expect him to accept it so easily

“Just like that, of course you’ll have a lot to learn while at sea, Marco and the others are good teachers. You’ll be in great hands. Heard from Odette that you’re a good medic. We could use a good doctor on board.”

“I’m not yet a doctor sir, I’ve yet to get my degree”

“Nonsense child, you can train under Odette. She is one of the best doctors in the Four Seas.”

“Thank you very much. I—I don’t really know what to do or where to go—“

She felt Whitebeard’s large hand pat her head, “You can stay with us and we’ll help you with the answers you seek. If it may be, we’ll be able to send you back home to you world”. She wiped her tears and smiled. The doubts she had have now disappeared, uplifted by her new objective and support

* * *

Odette was looking at her intently after she asked Acelia a few questions concerning her medical background. For some reason, Izou, Thatch and Ace were behind her, waiting for the verdict of the ship’s doctor, whether to accept her as her apprentice or not.

“You are quite trained I must say and you’ve done well during the last incident. Your sutures are clean and precise, your aseptic technique is of standard” She began, “Most of the medical terms between your world and ours are quite similar. You can cope well. Except of course for herbal medicine, you’ll have to relearn that.”

“Wow, you’re amazing Acelia” Ace patted her back.

“Why are you guys even here?” Acelia whispered

“We’re here to show moral support to our new sister” Thatch exclaimed

“Hush” The doctor warned, “Now if I may ask, were you raised under the apprenticeship of a doctor? I’m surprised you have advanced medical knowledge at such a young age”

“Uhm no—but I went to school for it, let’s see, my pre medical course was 4 years and my medicine proper was about 3 years, when I suddenly came here” Acelia explained, “Ohh and I’m not that young though. I’m already 23”

Everyone in the room looked at her like she was crazy, “Oh my, it seems we have a baby-faced sister” Izou chuckled

“It’s not my fault, I was like this ever since” Acelia defended

“I really thought you were 18 or something. Hell, you’re even older than me” Ace frowned

“I thought she was 15! Now I owe Jozu and Blamenco some money” Thatch said

“Don’t forget about me” Izou held his hand out and Thatch gave him a few hundred belli

“What was that about?” Acelia asked Ace

“Some of the crew had a bet on how old you were.” He explained

“Alright, alright.” Odette calmed them down. “You’ll start your training 2 days from now, I’m going to give you a books that you could read in the library for reference.”

“Thank you very much!”

The 4 left the infirmary, while Thatch and Izou went to resume their duties. Ace was tasked to give her a tour of the whole ship. He showed her the dining area which was a floor below the deck, it was filled with tables and chairs and he even showed her the kitchen where she saw Thatch cooking. They went a level lower where she saw the bunks, the library, and the main communications room. Next they went into the main charting room which was located at the foremast of the ship and they roamed around the commanders’ quarters.

“Overall we have 5 ships, this is Moby Dick the biggest and main ship of the fleet”

“That’s a lot, how many members do you have?”

“About 1600”

“Wow, How do you even manage them all?.”

“Well, not all are at sea, probably about 200 are settled and protecting our claimed islands and the rest are distributed among the ships. About 400 are in this ship. There are 16 commanders in total, they have specific jobs that keep the crew of a thousand people running.” Ace explained

“I see, then I assume you are a commander?”

“Yes, I’m the second division commander. I handle navigation and map charting. Thatch is the fourth and as you’ve known, he’s the one in charge of the kitchen. Izou is the 16th who usually takes care of the allied captains and our sister ships. And so on. You can ask the other commanders about their specifics”

-That’s a lot to take in- she breathed. “Then who is the first?” she asked

“I’m not sure if you’ve seen him aside from the meeting with Pops but that pineapple head is hard to miss”

“Pineapple head?”

“Yeah, Marco. The one with blonde hair and blue eyes. He’s Pops’ first mate”

Acelia’s heart made a little thump when she hear his name. Especially with the incident of her bumping into him in the shower room and realizing later that morning when she looked in the mirror that her night dress was see through. She groaned internally. Hopefully, she won’t see him.

* * *

  
On top of the crow’s nest on the main mast, again stood Marco observing them.

“You know, I’m sick and tired of you just watching over like a stupid hawk. I thought you’re a phoenix” Fossa told the other commander as he adjusted the sails on the main mast.  
“And honestly it looks creepy”

“Is it that obvious?”

“You’ve been watching the girl ever since she came here. And I think you’ll be doing more of that since she’ll be sailing with us now. If you’re attracted to the damn girl then go get her. Ever since the bet of her age, a lot of the young crew members plan to hit to on her”

His statement didn’t feel right in Marco’s gut. “Did you win the bet?” he asked

Fossa grumbled, “Nah, I went with Thatch that she’s below 20. That face is really deceiving. Now I owe a lot of people some money. I’m surprised you didn’t bet, you’re usually good at these things”

“I did, but only with Pops. He owes me 100,000 belli”

His friend laughed, “Good thing I didn’t bet with you”


	8. It's a Promise

About three months have passed and Acelia’s apprenticeship under Odette was going well. She would spend her time either on the library or the infirmary. She had met the other commanders as well and they were treating her kindly, now ridding her of her initial opinion of pirates. The other nurses were fun to talk with as well, they would often chat with Pops every time she was tasked to change his IV line or give him his medicine.

Ace, Thatch and Izou were always her companions during meals and sometimes visit her when she’s working on patients. There were a lot of things she discovered on their world, it took her about a month to discover that Izou was a man and “she” had a romantic relationship with Thatch.

There are also fruits called the Devil’s fruits that give you special powers in exchange of your ability to swim and move in water. The first time she’d heard of it was when she poured a bucket of water over Ace when she thought he caught himself on fire, but it was actually just his devil fruit ability. She could still remember Thatch and Haruta laughing their asses off.

Acelia was glad she was getting along with everyone well. Except of course with the peculiar First Division Commander Marco. Ace said he also ate a devil fruit but wouldn’t tell her what it was and until now she was dying to know. She would often see Marco watching over in the helm, giving orders, staying in the frontlines during enemy attacks but she’d never seen his powers.

She grimaced at the thought that she was interested in this person who would talk to her with only “Excuse me”, or “Thank you”. But at times she would see him joking around Ace, Thatch and his other crewmates. She could not deny that he was really handsome even though they say that he is old enough to be her father. He was taller than Ace, with a strong muscular built. He always wore an unbuttoned shirt that showed his jolly roger and sported a sash on his waist. Damn, he looked hot. Acelia sighed, she should stop acting like a teenager.

One morning Izou barged in her room, one habit that she wished they’d change.

“We’re headed to an island” Izou said, “It’s much bigger, a commerce island if you will. We’re going to have a major restocking of supplies”

“Ohhh” Acelia was filled with excitement, the islands they docked before were small and sometimes uninhabited. She could not wait to see what the bigger islands look like

“While we’re at it, we need to get you a wardrobe” The kimono-clad pirate continued

“What? No need for that, I’m quite contented with the clothes you gave me”, showing her friend her outfit of the day, an oversized dress shirt and baggy pants.

“Honey, you look like a jellyfish in those clothes and you need to buy proper clothes if we’ll visit winter and summer islands”

“But—“She protested but Izou shut it off

“If you won’t come, you’ll have to wear that skimpy nurse outfit for the rest of your life. We’ll land tomorrow, be ready okay?” She said and left Acelia mortified and afraid that she’s actually going to do it.

* * *

“LAND HO!!”

Marco was in deck holding a clipboard, looking at the supplies they need. It seems they would spend at least 2-3 days in the island. It was a neutral island so usually no marines would be present, if there were, they wouldn’t be much of a threat unless an Admiral graced them with their presence.

Once their huge ship had docked, he gave his orders to each division and send them out for the supply run. Everyone was excited, it’s been a while since they had a shore break. Surely, there would be drinking and partying tonight.

“Marco!” Ace called out, running towards him, “You heading to shore?”

“Maybe later, I have to watch over the supplies”

“Aww shit. Now who’s going to accompany Acelia to the tailor shop?” The second commander scratched his head. Marco raised his brow, “The tailor shop?”

“Yeah, Izou supposed to accompany her to buy some clothes but the sister ship Rakuyo is handling had a damage on the starboard and had to check it”

“What about Thatch?” Namur suggested when he heard their conversation

“Would you trust that perverted bastard?” They all grimaced, Thatch was the least wanted option.

“What are you guys doing?” A sweet voice chimed in Marco’s ears. Acelia joined their group wearing a white flannel shirt and a pair of pants a little bit big for her. A trip to the tailors’ seems to be what she indeed needed.

“Oh, Acelia, we’re just talking about who’s going to take you in the island” Ace greeted

“Don’t be silly, I’m old enough to take myself there” Acelia patted Ace’s head, “Don’t worry I’ll bring myself back in one piece. I already asked Pops and he even gave me a bag of coins to spend”, she grinned holding up a bag full of coins. Pops was spoiling her.

“If you get into trouble, just find one of the crew okay? And be careful of swindlers.” Namur reminded her, acting like a mother hen

“Understood, see you later” She waved and put on a straw hat before heading in land

“Wanna bet on how much belli Pops gave her?” Ace said when she was out of sight

* * *

It was a busy tropical island, she could feel the summer heat something she is still not accustomed to since she grew up in the cold mountains. Pops did gave her the straw hat so she won’t be burned by the soldering sun. Just as she went down the docks, market stalls greeted her that continued until the main street of the town. Different kinds of shops lined the street and Acelia want to look at everything but first things first, she looked at the paper Izou handed her before she went to town after apologizing she can’t come with her.

There was a tailor shop name written then a looong list of the clothes that she needed.

“Just go to the shop, it’s just on the main street, you can’t miss it. Then give the list to the owner. He’ll take care of you.” Izou instructed “Make sure to buy everything in that list, I’ll check that when I’ll come back”

Acelia sighed, she’d never thought at the age of 23, she’ll be treated like a child. After walking for a while looking for the shop, she finally found it. The sign was named “Margarette’s” and the front windows were showcasing intricate dresses, shoes and what not.

-I guess this is it- she thought and entered the shop, there were a lot of clothes to choose from and she didn’t know where to start. Just as about she was going to browse through the blouses when a cheery masculine voice called.

“Hello! Welcome to Margarette’s, what kind of clothes do you have in mind for today?” A tall man wearing a white dress shirt and a black skirt smiled at her

“Uhm—Hello, I was just looking around”

“My name is Margarette, just call me Marge” he said, “Can I have a look at your list? Maybe I can help you”

Acelia handed her Izou’s list, “Ohh, you’re Commander Izou’s acquaintance. She did rang on the den den mushi earlier to telling me about your visit, it’s Miss Acelia isn’t it?”

She simply nodded. “Right this way then” The crossdresser lead her to the backroom of the shop to what looked like a dressing room, it was full of mirrors and there were racks of clothes in the corner.

“Commander Izou told me your body measurements so I was able to make a selection of clothes for your visit, these are quality fabric that could last during voyages, they are not easily damaged by sea water and will not fade at the rays of the sun.” Marge dragged the racks in from of Acelia. It was filled with blouses, tank tops, pants, shoes, coats, dresses and even underwear.

“I don’t think, I’ll be able to fit all of them”

“Of course you do sweetheart. Don’t worry, I’ll be helping you through” Marge beamed.

It took her approximately 5 hours to get all clothes in Izou’s list, Marge was very meticulous and had her go through every clothing. And what made it hard is that Acelia liked everything and she didn’t think she would actually buy everything. In the end, Marge discarded the clothes she was wearing and had her change into a canary yellow sundress with matching sandals and replacing her straw hat with a summer hat.

-This man is a very good salesman. He might be a con artist- Acelia was exhausted, she didn’t think she would spend half the day.

Marge rang up her purchases, “Everything would be 200,000 belli”, Acelia cringed at the price and brought out the coin bag Pop’s gave her. She wished that she had some left to buy books and herbs.

“Thank you very much for your purchase! I still have a few adjustments on the pants you wanted so you’ll have to return this afternoon. And call a friend would you? You won’t be able to carry these boxes in one go”

They both stared at the three huge boxes stacked together. So much for over spending. She should probably call for Ace later.

“Yes, thank you very much”

It was so hot when she left the tailor shop, so she opted to look for some sort of a café. When she found one, she ordered a smoothie and a sandwich which she ate while she went on to find an herb shop. And without fail spent a lot of money on medicinal herbs that she could try. Acelia was about to go back to the ship and call for Ace when she passed by a book shop. Hoping to find some books she could use, she went inside.

Aside from a young girl who greeted her when she entered, there was no one in the shop. She looked around to find new medical books as well as history books not found in the ship’s library. She was reading “The History of the Four Seas” when she felt a small tap on her shoulder.

She turned to see that it was Marco who was handing her a book, “Read this one, it’s more detailed.”

The new clothes looked good on her, the Commander thought. It showed most of her petite figure, not much curves but it was enough to be called as feminine. She was attractive but not that beautiful compared to some women he met.

“Oh, thank you” Acelia looked at the title and placed the book on her pile. She was still embarrassed on the whole shower incident but she just acted like nothing happened. That’s what a grown woman should do. Marco studied her pile and took the book which was entitled “An introduction to Poneglyphs”.

“I was interested in the small poneglyph cube in the Moby, I wanted to know what it said” She explained

“I could teach you if you want.” Marco offered, “And I have many advanced books on poneglyphs, I can let you borrow them. But I recommend you read the beginner’s first”

“Really?” Acelia asked, “But well, you’re busy and I don’t want to bother you”

Marco smiled, “I can find time, and we could have just a schedule where we’re both not busy”

-That smile is just not fair- she sighed, “Thank you”

Once they were finished choosing their books, they rang up their purchases together and Marco paid for her books, she protested but he said it was a welcoming gift. Once they were out the store, he asked, “Are you still going to visit other shops?”

“No” she shook her head, the sun was about to set and she should probably get her clothes, “I’m going back to the ship and look for Ace, I still have to go to the tailor shop to get my clothes”

“Since I’m already here, I could carry them for you instead” Marco suggested, “It would be tiring to go back and forth to the ship”

“I would accept you offer then”

The pair went to the tailor shop where Marge greeted Marco and to answer Acelia’s mental question of “How they know each other”, Marco was a client of Marge’s as well. Marco looked at the boxes of Acelia’s purchases and chuckled

“I got carried away” She said before he could even tease her. The First Commander carried the boxes and on the way back to the ship they talked more on the history of the seas and poneglyphs.

“Thank you for helping me, those boxes must weigh a ton” Acelia said as Marco put her boxes in her room.

“No problem, I best be going and check on the supplies brought in” As he turned to leave, she asked, “So when are you going to start teaching me?”

Marco paused, “Are you available tomorrow night?”

“Yes”

“Then I’ll see you at the foremast crow’s nest tomorrow after dinner” He said and shut the door behind him.

And Acelia couldn’t deny that she was actually looking forward to it.

Izou came a little later and helped her organize the clothes she bought, they chatted and Acelia felt really happy. She’d never spent her time with friends like this, she was a sheltered child and was never allowed to go on hang outs with friends unless she was given permission. It felt nice to experience something different.

“How did you and Thatch end up together?” she asked

“Well, Pops’ is actually a good matchmaker. I was the one who had feelings first and I tried to hide it since Thatch was usually attracted to women but Pops pushed me to confess and it turns out he liked me as well, unexpected isn’t it?” Izou smiled sweetly, she adored smiles like that, the ones that show that you’re genuinely happy. “Does it weird you out? That we’re both male?”

“No” Acelia replied, “I believe that love doesn’t choose gender. And I think it’s beautiful”

“How about you Acelia? Do you have someone you like in the ship?”

“No” she just flat out replied, Oh no, she had to change the topic quick or Izou will know, she screamed internally

“Oh come on, you been with us for almost 3 months now, there’s bound to be someone” The crossdresser prodded, “Is it Ace?”

“No, he’s like a little brother to me”

“Deuce?”

“No”

“Teach?”

“Oh heavens, NO”

Izou spent about 10 minutes enumerating their crew members, until she reached his name. She probably gave it away easily because she felt her ears and face blush.

“May the seas bless your heart” Izou chuckled, “You like Marco?”

“Just a bit!” she explained, “I do not like him that much”

“Ohh, I see. You have a good eye. He is quite good looking for his age”

“How old is he? 25? 30?”

“You didn’t know? He’s already 40 years old”

Acelia frowned, “He doesn’t look 40”

“He ate a very special devil fruit that gives him spontaneous healing abilities. He could heal himself in battle and it keeps him from aging. Believe it or not, his face had been like that ever since he was 20.”

“Is he married or did he have any relationships?”

“He never married, he’s been with Pops when they started this crew. As for relationships, I don’t think there’s been any serious relationships after Whitey Bay” Izou explained as she put the folded clothes in the cabinets

“Whitey Bay?”

“She’s one of our allied captains, she and Marco had a thing until about two years ago. We don’t know the reason, Marco doesn’t usually share about these things. You’ll see her soon anyways”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very happy how this turned out. And I'll be uploading all of my current progress because I know the feeling of reading an unfinished story. Haha
> 
> Though the story is not finished, I have lots to upload and I am really happy that I'm able to share it with you guys.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the story.  
Comments and Suggestions are highly appreciated!


	9. A Spark of Your Fire

The next day, she didn’t see Marco for the whole day, everyone was busy carrying supplies into the ship as they were going to leave tomorrow. She held on to his promise that they’ll meet tonight, she thought about the things Izou said yesterday and it bothered her.

“Miss Acelia?” A crewmate snapped her out of her reverie

“Yes?” She was working in the infirmary at the moment, she composed her thoughts and turned to him.

“I’m having a stomachache, It’s kinda buggin’ me since this morning” She recognized her crewmate as Teach who is from Ace’s division. He was a funny guy but for some reason, something doesn’t sit well with her.

“Please have a seat” she said, “Do you remember what you ate before you stomach hurt? Or you probably ate too much pie again”

“Zehahaha, we had a lot of drinks in the bar in the island last night” The pirate laughed then clutching his aching stomach after

“You’re probably having hyperacidity. I’m going to give you some antacids, take one after meals for two days then come back here tomorrow for a follow up.”

She handed her an envelope with the medicine and logged it in her charts then she smiled at him, “You should eat before you heavily drink so you won’t have it again. But you’ll have to lay off the alcohol for at least a week”

“Will do Miss Acelia. Thank you very much”

The day pretty much went on normally and slowly to her dismay. At dinner, she sat with Ace. As usual, the fire logia user had his plate full of food and was gobbling like no tomorrow while Acelia was reading the beginner’s guide to poneglyphs. A preparation for her tutoring later.

All of a sudden Ace had a bout of his narcolepsy and almost fell on his food, luckily Vista and Namur dragged the plate away. It was one habit she wasn’t used to, the two commanders then took a seat in front of her with their food.

“Thank you for saving him before he drowned in his curry” She said

“You should have seen the time when he fell on a bowl of soup” Vista laughed

Namur joined him in his laughter, “I remember that one, and he woke up thinking he was drowning”

Taking notice of the book Acelia was reading, Vista asked, “Are you interested in that sort of thing?”

“It’s fun to learn new things” she answered

“Hmm, you should talk to Marco about those. He’s the one who’s adept to the ancient language.”

“He is the smartest one of all of us” Namur agreed, “You know, he was with Pops ever since he was a teenager”

“If I may ask” Acelia said, “What’s the devil fruit he ate?”

Vista and Namur looked at each other then Vista spoke, “You’ll just have to discover that for yourself”, he grinned

“To give you a hint, it’s a Zoan type of fruit, a rare one I should say”

Acelia frowned and Namur just ruffled her hair, “Don’t stress on it. You’ll know it when you see it. It might be the most beautiful thing you’ll ever see”

She headed to the crow’s nest on the foremast after dinner, though she still didn’t see Marco, he’ll probably come. Somehow, she prepared for it and wore her new clothes—a lavender blouse tucked in black breeches paired together with knee high black deck boots. Her hair was short to be styled so she fixed it as a simple small ponytail.

Acelia was waiting for 30 minutes already yet she still waited thinking that maybe he was still busy and a small voice telling her that he probably forgot. Still, she decided to wait and drifted to sleep.

* * *

Marco cursed himself as he dragged drunk crewmates into the ship who were involved in a bar fight. It got worse that they had to call for his help. It was almost midnight when he finished settling the damages with the bar owner and he already missed his meeting with Acelia.

She’s probably pissed or something, he thought but as he passed through her quarters, his observation haki did not detect her presence. She was somewhere in the ship, hopefully awake so he can apologize. He roamed around the lower decks and looked for her but she was nowhere to be found. Marco found himself in the deck again contemplating where she could be, he used his observation haki again and detected a small presence in the foremast.

He quickly transformed into a phoenix and flew to up to her. He perched on the crow’s nest and saw Acelia sleeping soundly on the floor, there were a pile of books and a lamp beside her. She was probably waiting all this time. He stiffened when those beautiful lids started to open.

Acelia felt a warm bright sensation awakening her. When she opened her eyes, a large beautiful blue bird was on the crow’s nest looking at her, it looked like it was burning with blue flames with a small flicker of yellow ones on its wings and a tuft on its head. It’s tails were three long string of circular yellow patterns. Mesmerized, she stood up and slowly reached out to touch it, the bird did not move away but crooned and moved closer. The flames felt cold and soft to the touch, it did not burn her skin. She looked at the bird and saw a familiar pair of sea blue eyes.

“Marco?” she asked softly and the bird transformed to a man that stood with her in the crow’s nest.

“I’m surprised you knew” he said

“I didn’t, I just discovered now. But Namur and Vista gave hints though. So you’re a—uhm—”

“Before you could say chicken, I’m a phoenix”

She laughed, “Hey, I wasn’t gonna say that”

“I’m sorry, there was a fight in a bar in the island, it got a little rough so—“

“No need to explain” Acelia smiled, “I know you’re busy, let’s just do this some other time when you’re free again. We should head in for the night, you’re probably exhausted” She proceeded to gather her books when he asked, “Are you scared of heights?”

“No”

“Then let’s fly?”

“I beg your pardon?”

Marco smiled and transformed back into a phoenix and showed his back to her, telling her to climb on his back.

“You got to be kidding me” Acelia laughed but dropped her books instead and climbed on the huge birds back. The blue fire flicked softly on her skin and Marco let out a musical song, it’s like he talked. He slowly flapped his huge wings and plummeted into the air, in a second they were already in the sky. Her heart was in her throat beating loudly, the wind fluttered to her face. It felt exhilarating.

He circled the Moby and then flew towards the island, the main street looked different when you look at it from the sky. He flew around the island where she saw the forest part of it, Acelia was awestruck. They roamed for a while then he let out another sing song and turned around towards the Moby.

“It’s over already?” She pouted, as he landed on the deck. To be honest she really didn’t want to go down but she jumped down. Acelia could hear Marco’s chuckle as he transformed back to human form.

“As much as I’d like to take you to other islands, it’s already late and you need some sleep”

“I’m not yet sleepy” She protested and Marco ruffled her hair

“Yes you are, I felt you yawn a few minutes ago”

“Alright you win” she said and yawned, “I still have to get my books in the crow’s nest”

“I’ll get them for you” He flew to the crow’s nest and in a moment he was back with her books. They walked together towards the commanders’ quarters and he took her to her room

“Thank you for taking me out flying. It was beautiful” She said as she opened her door

“It’s the least I can do for missing out our meeting, How about I tutor you tomorrow? This time I won’t miss.”

“Alright, you better keep your word Commander”

“I’ll see you then, Good Night Acelia” Marco smiled

“Good Night Marco”

Once Acelia closed the door and he heard a satisfying lock, he headed to his own quarters. It was good that he was able to patch up things with Acelia, he wasn’t able to interact with her during her first months but he was glad they could talk casually now. Marco dismissed his initial desire and attraction towards Acelia, it’s just probably because he didn’t had any women for a long time. Observing her and talking to her made him realize that Acelia was his little sister, a new part of his family, someone he has to protect from now on. Or so he thought.


	10. What a Pirate's Life Really Is

It started with the meet ups at the crow’s nest, after dinner without fail. If Marco wasn’t busy, he would teach her about the things she’d been meaning to know about their world. The other commanders would often find them and join them in their discussions and carry Acelia back to her room when she falls asleep.

“She’s happy” Jozu said as he and Marco carried Acelia to her quarters. Stefan was walking with them, guarding Acelia.

Marco looked at the peacefully sleeping girl in Jozu’s arms, “I hope she is, she’s always showing us that annoying grin but to think that she was taken away from home to a world unfamiliar to her doesn’t seem easy”

“We’ve all been there” Jozu said, referring to their brothers and sisters “Most of us had it rough before Pops made us his children.”

Marco reminisced the time when Pops took him in, he was not more than a brat stealing in the streets to survive, Jozu was not any different, he was a part of a human trafficking ring. Some of their brothers had worse and Pops gave them a good place to stay, a home.

“Come to think of it,” The diamond Paramecia continued, “Curiel said that she looked like a sheltered lady, a smart one but still innocent. A naïve mind is the easiest to shatter”

“The time will come when she will know what being a pirate is like, but she has us.”

“Acting like the big brother huh?”

“I am her big brother”

“Don’t let Thatch hear that or you’ll never hear the end of who’s the best brother”

Both of them laughed and put their baby sister to bed.

* * *

“Ace” Deuce called him, “Commander Rakuyo is calling from a den den mushi. He says it’s urgent”

Ace was in the main charting room, updating the weather forecasts and the tides when his ex-Spade vice-captain called him. He sighed and passed the weather updating to his subordinates. The fire user stood up and walked with Deuce to the main communications room.

“’Sup Rakuyo?” Ace greeted

“Hello Ace, what’s your current coordinates? We received distress calls from two islands about a few miles away us.”

Ace frowned and told him their coordinates, “Distress calls? How come we didn’t hear it?”

“We are closer to the islands than you are, we need back up. They said that some rookie pirates are attacking the islands. Unfortunately for us, those islands don’t have much of our men”

“How are they handling it?”

“They’re surviving but not for long, they are starting to take children and women as hostages. There are already a few of our brothers killed, they said there are two enemy ships on the first island and one on the adjacent island.”

“Sounds like a couple of pirates think they can gang up on us”

“Yeah, you better report to Pops. The islands are 25 miles northwest from your current location. We’ll head out first to the second island.”

“Alright, Moby will catch up to in about two hours. Stay safe brother”

“To you as well brother, may the tides throw that goddamned ship and your asses here already”

Ace hung up and immediately ran to report to Pops, who called an emergency meeting. They decided that the Marco will man the ship, Ace and Haruta will head inland with their divisions, Thatch will accompany Odette to the second island together with a few men in his division as reinforcements while Jozu will accompany Acelia to the first island.

Acelia could feel the air getting heavier as they approached the islands. When the two enemy ships saw them, they immediately fired their cannons at the Moby. Those assigned to go to the island used the motor boats and diverted into the back of the islands then split up.

Jozu together with a few men in his division joined Acelia towards the part of town where the survivors are located.

“Stay close, Acelia” Jozu instructed, “Heard from Rakuyo that they have sea stone bullets”

She only nodded and followed the big man into the house. The other men scoured the nearby trees and houses for ambushes. Once they entered the house, there were a couple of people huddled in the corners of the house.

“Commander Jozu!!” one of the civilians approached them, Jozu recognized him as one of their crew and asked, “What’s the situation?”

“They took most of the able bodied men, women and children to their ships. They’re a human trafficking ring. We’ve been hiding here for two days now waiting for back up.”  
Acelia took notice of the people who were injured and hurried to treat them.

“Take the route we took towards the Moby, and stay in the ship until we drive of these pirates”

“Be careful commander, some are devil fruit users”

Jozu instructed some of his men to take the survivors to the ship. Explosions were suddenly heard from the town proper. Acelia was feeling worried.

“Don’t worry, that’s probably Ace. His devil fruit power makes his fighting style a little flashy” Jozu assured as they headed across town towards the chaos. They found one of the enemy ships in the docks where they found children and women shackled together.

“What the—“, Acelia prepared her medical kit, some me of the women were heavily beaten and the children’s backs were whipped. Shaken as she was, she has to be strong for this people. Taking a deep breath, she began giving first aid to the injured.

Jozu turned his hands into diamonds and started removing the iron shackles, “This is probably where the traffickers are keeping their victims”

They both continued to work on freeing and treating them. One by one, Jozu’s division took the women and children to safety until there was a scream outside the house.

“What do we have here?” A tall man wearing a ragged coat and a pirate hat with a jolly roger she did not recognized was holding a child by the neck, “I expected Phoenix Marco to be here, since it was the mother ship who came but I get Fire Fist Ace and Diamond Jozu instead.”

Acelia shivered, the man’s aura was dangerous, ones that don’t have any pity for humanity at all.

“Stay behind me, this man is a devil fruit user” Jozu warned and turned both of his arms to diamonds. The child the man was holding was struggling to breathe, whimpering. Acelia could not stand to see it.

Jozu charged his towards the man who suddenly have iron blades hovering over him and throwing them at Jozu, he flinched when one of the blades sunk into his right leg but successfully holding the man so he couldn’t attack. At that point, they realized that the blades were coated with sea stone. Mustering all of her courage, she ran towards them and kicked the man’s arm that was holding the child and caused him to let go.

Acelia quickly grabbed the child and carried another child who was left at the ship then ran towards the forest, she could hear the other pirates chasing after them. They will catch up to them in no time, the children were injured and weak and she was not sure if she would be able to run as fast as well. The children in her arms whimpered in pain, she pushed her body to run a little bit faster. After a few minutes of running she managed to lose them but she’s sure it was not for long. She put down the children behind a thick shrub, treated their wounds with bandages and made them drink some water.

Explosions could be heard from a distance. She prayed that everyone are safe.

“Listen to me” She said and looked at the kids, “You two will stay here and keep quiet okay? I will distract the men chasing us. Wait here and do not move. I’ll be back for you. Okay?”

The children nodded, Acelia shrugged off her coat and wrapped it around them.

-May I be given the strength to get through this- she exhaled deeply, and ran away from the bush to a direction she isn’t even sure where it would lead. The pirates noticed her and chased after her, she’s getting tired already and her lungs felt like it might explode. She suddenly tripped and hit her right knee real hard, the pirates were able to catch up to her and dragged her up with her hair.

“You bitch” He panted, “You thought you can outrun us huh?” He raised his sword on her neck. “Where are the children?” he asked.

She did not answer, instead she took all the strength to turn and punch the man right in the jaw, the man moved back but his blade slashed her shoulder. Stood up despite the pain on her knee and ran. She clutched her shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding but the enemies are still chasing after her. Acelia’s hopes were crushed as she got cornered into a cliff, the pirates surrounded her, the two of them wielding a sword. There’s nowhere to run anymore.

Her lungs burned, her feet and knees hurt, her shoulder was spilling with blood. At least the children are safe, the crew will find them if they stayed hidden

The men moved closer laughing and mocked her, telling threats about raping her for making them run this far, Acelia’s head became so foggy. But she decided she’s not going to die here.

The man charged towards her with a sword at hand, she dogged it and bit his hand so her would let go of the sword.

“You bitch!! Still trying to fight?!” he yelled

At that moment, Acelia’s vision was almost turning red. Adrenaline was rushing through her veins, without any thought, she took the sword from the ground and charged towards the man and stabbed him on the stomach. The other pirate retaliated in return and attacked her, cutting her back. She yelled out in pain then swung the sword up, wounding the pirate’s side. When he was weakened, she pushed him of the cliff with all her strength.

Sword still in her hands, she looked at the pirate who was crawling on the ground. Acelia raised the sword and stabbed the man’s torso and twisted it. She held on to the handle until she made sure the man was dead.

Moments later, she realized what she has done. Her hands were now shaking, and tears threatened her eyes. –What did I do?- was the only question on her mind. Her mind is rationalizing what happened but then she remembered the children. She stood up, staggering and dragged herself to find them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to describe the fights the best I can because it's kinda hard.


	11. Acceptance

They received news that Jozu and Ace were able to apprehend the captain of the trafficking ring and Rakuyo was able to protect the second island. It was mission accomplished. The survivors were now in the Moby, resting as the crew cleaned up the island. But Marco was getting worried, they could not find Acelia anywhere, even after Jozu told them where she ran off with the children, they could not see any sign of them in the thick forest.

After they heard a series of blood curling screams at a distance, Acelia emerged from the forest holding two children who were asleep in her arms. She looked drained and tired, almost on the brink of falling down and covered in blood.

“Acelia!” Marco ran towards her and caught her when she fell kneeling on the sand.

“The children—“she said weakly, “Take the children first”

“I got them” Ace took the children from her arms and brought them to Odette

“What happened to you? You’re all covered in blood? Are you hurt?” Marco asked, worry filled his voice when he saw the bleeding gash on her arm and back.

“There are a few men who chased us—cornered us in the cliff” She said then drifted off. Marco hurriedly carried her to the ship.

* * *

This is the second time that she stood in front of Pops and the commanders all together. After recovering from her wounds for a few days, she was summoned to the captain's cabin. Acelia sighed, she just woke up from a terrible nightmare and now this. But knows why he called her, she remembered everything that happened in the island and she’s pretty sure they saw it.

The proof that she had murdered people.

“Acelia” Pops’ voice was comforting yet commanding, “What happened?”

She flinched at his voice, her hands started trembling. Still recalling the events from last time, she was a doctor, she was supposed to save lives and yet she found the strength in herself to actually kill a person.

“I was afraid it was going to be like this” Pops broke the silence. “The rest of you, leave”

At first they hesitated but one by one they left the captain’s cabin. Ace was the last one to leave and gave her hand a gentle squeeze of assurance.

Pops took her hand, “It’s not your fault, and you could have perished if you didn’t do it. You couldn’t have saved those children at all. It’s a harsh reality of being a pirate: Kill before you get killed”

He pitied the shaken girl, not all have a steel heart that could kill a man. Pirate life had made their wills hard like iron however she was not a pirate, she must have taken it to herself. Whitebeard put a hand on her head, not saying anything until Acelia stopped crying. Somehow, she felt a little better with just Pops becoming her pillar of support.

“Thank you Pops”

When Acelia opened the door to leave Pop’s room an hour later, she saw Stefan waiting for her outside.

“You’re such a good boy” She scratched the dog’s ears. It was already night time and she probably missed dinner. Thatch would probably get mad if she rummaged the kitchen at this time.

She remembered the way they looked at her in the room earlier, like she was someone foreign. She couldn’t deny it but it’s true. She was someone who they just dragged out of the water. She walked towards her secret place in the rear end of the ship. It was a small space that had a terrace and she remembered Fossa calling it the galley. She sat with Stefan, staring at the sea, cuddling with him as the night was cold and she was only wearing a thin night gown. She cringed when she leaned her back on the wooden hull, her wounds had not yet fully recovered and she was still covered in bandages, it was probably going to leave a scar.

-What do they think of me right now? - She asked herself and is now considering to leave the crew.

The feeling of crying was there but crying wont help her. She was thrown into a strange world but she’ll find a way somehow. Stefan licked her cheek then he laid down in front of her very thankful that she had Stefan. Soon after, she fell asleep

* * *

“Did you find her?” Ace asked the other commanders who were looking for their sister so early in the morning. They all shook their heads

“She didn’t eat the food I left for her last night” Thatch said, “Do you think she left the ship?”

Curiel shook his head, “I doubt, all of our spare boats are still in the ship”

Marco grimaced, he already flew all over the ship and they couldn’t find her, what a difficult brat.

“I couldn’t find Stefan either!” Haruta exclaimed, “He ran away with her!”

Thatch dramatically put his hand on his heart, “She chose him over me. I can’t believe it” he cried, Haruta hugged him and cried dramatically with the pompadour.

Izou ignored them, “I asked Pops already, he said to leave her alone for a while”

“We can’t leave her alone. We did not scorn Ace when we knew whose son he is. Why scorn her? It was not something she chose” Vista said and they all fell silent.

Jozu suddenly appeared on the deck, carrying Stefan on his arm and a protesting Acelia on his shoulder.

“Jozu! Let go of me and Stefan!!” She lightly hit his back, “Stefan bite him!” she commanded but the huge dog knew that he will lose all of his teeth if he did so he just wagged his tail, happy that someone was carrying him. Acelia just sighed in defeat

“Found the two runaways in the galley” Jozu began, “says she’s gonna leave the crew”

The so called runaway stiffened with fear when she saw the other commanders looking at her, eyebrows raised. She couldn’t get away, Jozu held her like a diamond vice.

Izou then hit everyone on the head with his fan, “Stop being a couple of jerks. She’s already scared as it is and Jozu bring her down” She looked at Acelia and said in a serious tone that sent shivers to her spine, “Acelia be a dear and don’t bolt when Jozu puts you down or I’ll have to shoot you in the leg so you can’t run away”

When Jozu put her down she just stood there awkwardly in front of them then Ace and Izou went to embrace her. There was no need for words, just a simple hug made her feel at ease and tells her that they’re family. That they did not reject her for what happened.

After a few minutes, they pulled away, Izou smoothened her kimono, “I’m starving, let’s head down for breakfast” Everyone agreed and headed down the dining area, even Stefan.

She followed after them and noticed Marco was walking beside her.

“No one blames you for what happened in the island” He said

“I know, and I wonder why”

“We’re pirates, we’ve killed people as well. As much as we’re opposed to it, sometimes there’s no other choice. It’s how we survive”

He continued, “You are one of us now and were not going to leave you”

His words warmed her heart. And the passive realization that she liked Marco.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love Stefan


	12. Nothing Tastes more bitter than Jealousy

For the next few weeks, her schedule was packed. At dawn, she would spar using swords with Vista or hand-to-hand combat with Rakuyo. During the day, she works in the infirmary then trains again with Ace or Thatch when Odette lets her off in the afternoon. Majority of her nights were just simply collapsing on to her bed and sleep, just to repeat the cycle again but on some nights, she’d spend her time on Marco’s room where he would tutor her.

The commanders decided not to let the situation from the island happen again and made it their responsibility to teach Acelia how to fight.

Acelia groaned, she was in Thatch kitchen with Izou, sitting at his counter when she finished the book on poisonous fruits. Odette wasn't going easy on her either, her ass is definitely getting worked to death.

“You finally done?” Thatch asked as he sautéed the shrimp, cooking today’s breakfast with other chefs. “Your head’s been buried into that book since yesterday”

“Yeah sorry, there’s just a lot of things to think through”

“Aren’t you late for Vista’s sword lessons?” Izou who was sipping tea reminded her and she let out another groan. She grudgingly went up to the deck but instead of Vista waiting for her, she saw Marco wearing nothing (on top) but a pair of training pants. Hopefully he did not notice her staring.

-Get a grip! You are a mature woman! Stop acting like a school girl!!- Her ego screamed.

“There you are” Marco said, “I was just about to find you”

“What for?”

“I’m going to train you today, Vista was sent to a mission last night. So I’ll be taking his stead”

She blinked, “What?” and Marco smirked, “Afraid to spar with me?”

They began sparring and she had difficulty keeping up, His movements were faster than Rakuyo’s but heavy and strong like Vista’s and Jozu’s, it was coordinated and as if planned unlike Ace’s random ones. She’d have known, Marco’s forte was hand-to-hand combat.

Anxiousness filled her, how is she going to fight back against such opponent? Acelia blocked and tried to counter attack as agile as she could. Marco was incredibly fast and he could read her movements, she was beginning to wear out as he was not giving her time to rest. It became a challenge to her so she had to show him the results of her training. She breathed deeply, concentrated her breathing to a minimum to control the fatigue she was feeling in her muscles.

Little by little, she started attacking more than just blocking. Against Marco whose devil’s fruit ability makes him resistant to fatigue, she would not win but if she could at least wipe off that awful grin of his then she’d be satisfied. After a while, she felt her body’s reached its limit and she moved to give a final punch but her fist just hit near his face.

Marco noticed that she was tired and stopped the match. “Well done“, he patted her head.

He gave her a canteen of water, which she reached with her weak arms. She could feel muscles screaming and throbbing

“A little more training and you could fight efficiently without weapons”

"I hate you, my whole body feels like jello right now"

Marco laughed and they both headed to the shower room, the sun was rising and the ship’s about to get busy. They got used to each other that they’re comfortable taking showers together, in different stalls of course.

Their closeness was also noticed by the other commanders and would sometimes tease them for it but Marco would just dismiss it saying that she’s a sister to him. Acelia let out a big sigh as she went back to her room to get dressed.

Her feelings for the phoenix are piling up and it’s only time until it shows.

If he notices that she doesn’t regard him as her brother, what will he do?

* * *

They landed on an autumn island a few days later for the usual supply run. Ace carried a crate to the deck yelled, “Look what I’ve got!”

Everyone started looked at him and moved closer to his crate to take a peek, “What in Pop’s name did you get this time?” Blamenco asked

“I got rare fruits for a small price” Ace grinned, “The seller said some of these it are truth fruits and others could make you fly for a period of time”

The crew fussed around Ace now, wanting to find out what kind of fruits they were.

Izou watched at the helm and facepalmed when Thatch started to join the commotion. A few moments later they brought the two idiots and a few members of the crew to the infirmary at Acelia’s mercy

“Who in the right mind will eat an unknown fruit?!” Blamenco scolded Ace and Thatch who are groaning due to their stomachaches.

“Apparently, these two are willing to be lab rats” Acelia sighed and looked at the confiscated crate. She recognized the fruits in the books she’d read. “Well, Ace was not scammed. Some of the fruits are indeed special fruits. The one Thatch ate was a truth fruit, it’ll cause a few minutes of cramping then he’ll be honest as the day is long”

“Hey I’m always honest” Thatch protested, Izou looked at him and gave him a bad feeling.

“Thank you for that information Acelia, I’ll be sure to maximize the time he’s like that” Izou said and Thatch mouthed help to Ace and Acelia who only laughed

“I’ll process an antidote immediately, for now I’ll let you drink an oil tonic that will slightly neutralize the poison” Acelia said and let Ace ingest the solution then continued  
assessing the other victims of Ace’s crate when a white haired lady wearing a purple pirate hat and pencil dress entered the infirmary.

“Is Odette around?” she asked, “Some of our crew got sick after eating fruits from a shady merchant”

“Whitey!!” Thatch exclaimed

“Oh Thatch, Izou you’re here” The woman named Whitey smiled. Her name rang a bell in Acelia’s memory.

“Whitey Bay it’s been a while, what are doing in this island??” Izou asked, oh right. She was Marco’s past girlfriend

“I had some things to talk with Whitebeard, and now a few of my crew are poisoned”

“Same here. Idiot one here bought the fruits without knowing and Idiot 2 took the first bite.” Izou explained

“Unfortunately, Odette went to one of the sister ships, Acelia’s taken over in her stead” Blamenco told her

Whitey Bay turned her attention to Acelia, “Ohh you’re the new doctor. If you please, would you help our crew? Our ship doctor is unfamiliar with the fruits and doesn’t know how to treat them”

Acelia followed her out where she saw a ship with a purple pirate flag docked beside them. The ship, unlike Moby, was metal. Whitey took her to her ship’s infirmary where she started identifying what fruits her crew ate and began creating an antidote.

“You’re quite good” Whitey bay complimented, “At such a young age too. Thank you for helping my crew”

“No problem” She said

They returned to Moby and saw Marco standing in the deck, overseeing the supply boxes coming in the ship.

“Hello Marco” Whitey Bay greeted

“Bay” Marco nodded

There’s something about the atmosphere between them, like they knew each other for a long time, like they were somehow connected. Acelia struck Whitey Bay as someone who would match Marco well, she was a composed person and she’s a captain.

“You went to see Pops?” he asked

“Not yet, I went to borrow Miss Acelia for a bit, my crew had a case of fruit poisoning”

Acelia gave her best professional smile that hopefully masked her envy, “I’d better get back to the infirmary. Nice to meet you Captain”, she walked back into the infirmary with haste. Izou and Thatch were gone now, the 16th commander probably dragged her lover to test the truth fruit. She check the other patients who were recovering well.

“Are you alright?” Ace asked when Acelia checked his vitals

“Yeah, what’s up with that question?”

“For starters, you look more constipated than me. Second, your eyebrows are about to meet in the middle of your forehead. Now tell me what’s buggin’ you”

“You’re beginning to sound like Teach” She chuckled, “It’s nothing”

“It’s Whitey Bay isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?” She frowned at him

“You know what I mean, it’s pretty obvious that you like Marco”

“I do not like him” Acelia paused and asked a little softer, “How obvious?”

“Pretty much. Most of the commanders are suspecting, they’re just waiting for you to confirm. Marco’s the only one who’s oblivious”

“Thank God for that” she said

Ace sat up and looked at her, “Their relationship ended a few months after I joined the crew two years ago. Don’t know the details but they were a mature couple, there were no fall outs or fights. They just split up”

“Even Pops was disappointed” he continued, “Whitey is a good captain, good enough to become Whitebeard’s allies”

Acelia grimaced, she knew from the start that she was no match for her. A part of her mind thought that what if she comes back to Marco again

Ace flicked her forehead, “Hey!! That hurt”

“Don’t sweat about it doc, as far as I know they’re just friends at this point. Now can you clear me so I can go and bug Thatch while he’s under the fruit’s effects?”


	13. Overflowing Feelings

There was a party that night, the whole crew was celebrating—alcohol and singing all over the ship. Acelia sat on the poker table taking a slow sip of her ale. Thatch, Namur, Blamenco and Fossa looked at her, it was her turn after all. She winked at them and placed a pair of aces on the table. Her fourth win of the night

“Not again!” Thatch exclaimed.

“How are you even good at this?” Curiel scratched his head

Haruta, who acted as her banker for the night, laughed at his brothers and collected Acelia’s winnings.

“She’s almost Marco’s level” Fossa sighed, his wallet was getting thinner and thinner.

“How about we have a match” Thatch yelled at Marco who was at the railings talking to Whitey Bay to join them.

Acelia took a long chug of her ale out of annoyance.

“Easy there little sister” Namur chuckled, “We don’t want you to have a hangover do we?”

Marco walked towards the poker table together with Bay.

“Come play with us” Thatch invited, “Acelia’s going to take over your spot as the best player”

“Ohh is that so? Tempting but I’d rather not, you’ll just blame me again if you lose” Marco said

Acelia didn’t know if it was the alcohol or the bubbling irritation in her head or maybe both, she suddenly blurted out, “Chicken”

Bay and Thatch laughed out loud and the rest of the crew snickered. Marco raised his eyebrow at her then took a seat across her. Vista was tonight’s dealer and distributed the cards. They placed their bets on the center of the table and the game began. Marco’s heated gaze looked at her from across the table, the alcohol was making her kinda brave so she stared back.

There’s no way she’s backing out.

“Fold” Fossa said immediately and faced down his cards.

“I’ll fold as well” Namur followed Fossa’s suite.

Thatch and Blamenco folded as well after a series of draws. She and Marco were the only ones left and it was all in for 200,000 belli. Everyone was drawn to the table, spectating who would win.

Whitey Bay was standing behind the first division commander, her hand on his shoulders, looking at his cards. Acelia decided she could not stand any of it anymore and flipped her card at the same time as Marco did.

“Winner, Acelia” Vista announced and there were hoots and claps. Thatch congratulated her and told her to play another game but she declined.

“You aren’t gonna play anymore Acelia?” Haruta asked, still holding the bag of money she won.

“I think that’s enough for the night. How about you keep that money first and we’ll think about where we’ll spend it tomorrow?”

Haruta ran off to his room happily to find a chest where he could put the money.

She started walking towards Pops who was sitting on the circle steps watching over the party.

“Tired of playing already?” He asked when he saw her approaching and sat by his feet.

“Figured I should let Thatch win for once” she answered taking a nearby bottle of vodka and took a good full swig

“Gurarara, care to tell me why you’re drinking like a fish?”

“Pops, I wonder if I am ever good enough”

Whitebeard looked at her, “I think that’s a question only you could tell, only you could know your worth and not dictated by other people”

“Do you think there’s reason why I’m brought here?”

“The sea has many secrets, not all are ready to be revealed yet. You’ll find your answers in time. But I’m thankful to the sea to have you in my family”

Acelia smiled, Pops has never failed to make her feel at home. She too was thankful that she ended up with them.

“Enough of this, I’m in the mood for storytelling, would you like to hear them?” The captain asked. Acelia nodded

“Back when I not connected to these godforsaken tubes—“Whitebeard began

* * *

Two hours or so of listening to Pop’s adventures and a full bottle of vodka later, Pop’s sent her to bed despite her protesting but he was probably tired so Acelia called the nurses and helped them put him to bed. She said her good nights and went to commanders’ quarters.

Acelia was slightly feeling the effects of the alcohol considering that she drank a whole bottle of hard liquor so she decided to head in for the night. Just before she entered her room, she saw Marco standing by the railings near their quarters.

“What are you doing?” She asked joining him

“Nothing, just enjoying the night” he said, “Shouldn’t you be in bed? You drank a lot tonight”

“Nah, I’m fine. So you’re not with Captain Bay?” she had the nerve to ask

“She headed back to her ship a while ago after we did a little catching up. I didn’t know you were good with cards” he teased

“Do not show thy enemy your strengths” she laughed

“Touché, you got me there, you robbed me a hundred belli”

They fell in comfortable silence looking at the calms seas reflecting the light of the stars. Perhaps a small push is all it takes or she needed another bottle of alcohol but she realized she didn’t need it. With all her heart she said to him, “I like you. I like you more than a brother”

Marco looked at her, surprised but quickly regained his composure, he didn’t answer for a while. But when he did, Acelia was thankful she prepared her heart for his answer.  
“I’m sorry Acelia, I have never seen you the same way. You are like a sister to me”

Deep inside her heart sank, she did not dare to cry. She knew this was coming, she knew he would reject her. Acelia smiled at him, even though it was a smile, he could see that it was a sad one.

“I know, I just want you to know. Don’t worry, you don’t have to do anything, I’ll get rid of these feelings and it would be just like normal” She said, “Well then, I’d better get to bed and you should too. Good night Marco” then quickly went to her room. Just as she shut the door, came the tears.


	14. Complicated

Marco barged in on Izou and Thatch who were making out on the kitchen counter.

“Acelia confessed to me” He said, ignoring the fact that both men are half naked and sat on one of the bar stools.

“Really Marco? Could you have picked a better time?” Thatch asked his friend as he and Izou put back their clothes then sat on the adjacent stools

“When did she confess?” Izou asked

“About an hour ago”

“And what did you say?”

Marco sighed, “Told him that I never thought her of such and he’s like a sister to me.”

“Oops. We both know that’s a lie” Thatch said, “You could have confessed as well. You two looked like two peas in a pod”

“Thatch is right dear, you never looked at him like a sister. If you only knew what you looked like when you look at her” Izou agreed

Marco contemplated on their words and they’re right. He never though he’ll fall in love with the woman who suddenly came into the ship and his life a few months ago. How Marco’s heart would jump every time she would show a childish grin and laugh.

“We cannot be together and I’m old enough to be her father. She deserves better”

“Oh love, she deserves you. You’ve keeping up this brother thing for since the four seas knows when. Everyone knows you don’t think of her that way.”

* * *

Acelia decided to go down the dining area to get a glass of water. She felt dehydrated after crying for a while. She heard Izou and Thatch’s voices in the kitchen and headed towards them, she could use a conversation right now. Just as she was about to open the door she heard Marco’s voice, “Acelia’s not the type of girl I see in my future”  
She quietly retracted her hand from the door handle and slowly headed back to her room.

* * *

Marco barely had any sleep after last night’s incident, his body was used to not having enough sleep and is easily coped up by his healing powers. But he felt tired as he walked to the deck to get some fresh air.

Thinking of her as a family member was the best choice to hide away his feelings for her. Being a pirate means uncertainty, you don’t know what’s going to happen next.  
Some part of him wants to confess and leave with her to one of the islands but he has an obligation here in Moby, to Pops. Acelia deserves a better future than this.  
He sighed, she’ll probably avoid him starting today. He won’t be able to touch her anymore.

“Something bothering you son?” Whitebeard came up beside him

“Hey Pops, you’re up early and you removed your IV lines again”

Pops grunted, “Acelia could reattach it later. I wanted to take a morning stroll, my back hurts from just sitting and lying down”

“I like her Pops” he confessed

“You don’t have to tell me that, I know she feels the same too”

“You knew?”

“Men don’t show their feelings as much as women but you can see it in their eyes, when they look at someone they cherish like a piece of treasure. And it’s the first time I saw you look at a person that way”

“She confessed to me last night and I rejected her, she might just have said that on a whim or just an infatuation”

Pops looked at his son, Marco’s been with him through all wars and storms the sea could throw at them and he stood unfazed. Now he’s troubled over a woman. Pops chuckled at that thought

“I think she is not a woman who would say things that she isn’t sure of. You’ve known her for a while to know that”  
Marco kept silent

Pops said to him, “There’s such things as the right love at the wrong time. But you’d better think it over.”

“I know”

Whitebeard was getting old, he realized. With his illness, he’ll die in a few years’ time but hell or high water he’ll see his sons and daughters be happy before they bury him 6 feet under. And if he didn’t, he swore he’ll become a ghost.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A week after her rejection and she still could not look at him in the face. Marco had expected it, she would only say a Good Morning or Hello when they meet on the hallways. When he tried to talk to her, she would run away, saying she was busy.  
She thought she could handle this like a grown woman. But her heart aches when she sees him, her stomach feels like sinking. Marco had attempted to talk to her but she couldn’t not yet.

Acelia regrets confessing to him.

Marco regrets rejecting her.

Their strained relationship continued for a few more days to the point where both parties are just holed up in their respective posts and Izou could not take it any longer. She barged into the infirmary to drag Acelia who was making herbal salves out to the deck.

Moby Dick was anchored to a secluded summer island for another shore break and everyone is by the beach having fun while the two are left on the ship. Izou decided that they will not remain like a pair of idiots and had Thatch drag out Marco from his duties as well.

“What are you doing Izou?” Acelia asked the cross-dresser

“Go change your clothes, we’re going swimming”

“I’m not really in the mood”

Izou looked at her friend, “You just can’t stay like this okay? Have a little fun, maybe it will take it off you mind”

After a moment of contemplation, Acelia agreed and went to her room to change in a bikini which she thought that doesn’t suit her. She was not exactly the sexy type but Marge told her it looked good on her. Changing her mind, she changed to another swimsuit which was a sports bra and shorts.

She took her towel and a hat then went into the island. Pops was sitting by the shade of some tropical trees and having a juice drink. Some of the crew went to explore the island and some were hanging out by the beach.

“Miss Acelia would you like something to drink??” Clary, one of the nurses approached her. She was wearing a very skimpy bikini, showing her curves and her watermelon chest. Acelia could not help but compare her flat ones. “Nessa is making smoothies out of the fruits in the island”, she pointed another bikini-clad nurse on a wooden bar making drinks.

“That would be lovely” She smiled and followed her to the bar. Nessa gave her a pineapple smoothie and Acelia headed to Thatch who was having a barbeque.

“Acelia! Glad you can join us. I made some grilled squid and meat barbeque from the wild boars Ace caught inland” The pompadour greeted her.

She took one of the squids and started eating. “You know Izou is going to kill you if you keep on ogling at the nurses”

“You saw nothing little sister. Please don’t tell this to Izou”

“Tell Izou what?” Izou appeared beside them

“Blackmail material” She grinned at Thatch

“Why don’t you join Ace and the others in the water? They’re looking for fishes right now”

Acelia looked at the sea and saw Ace, Namur, Haruta and Marco waddling near the reefs. Haruta is holding a pail where they put their catches.  
Maybe she could work it out and have fun, she’ll just ignore Marco. But she did tell him that she would act normally. Apparently it was not an easy task.

“I’ll be joining them then” she stood up and walked to the water

“Be careful, the tide is a bit rough and there are a lot of deep underwater caves, you might fall in one. Stay close to Namur” Izou reminded her

“Yes mom” Acelia mumbled and wadded to where the others are.

“Acelia! Come see the fish” Ace waved at her as she slowly walked closer.

The water was transparent making the colorful reefs and fish visible from above. She could see some sea creatures swimming around their feet. Haruta showed her the pail with small colorful fish and crabs they caught.

“How come you didn’t catch any squid and bigger fish?” she asked

“That’s beyond me and Marco’s powers already” Ace grinned, “Namur’s the one who caught those in the deeper waters”

She could not help but glance at the half-naked Marco who caught her gaze for a moment but looked away immediately.

“So what are you looking for?”

“We saw a really cool fish earlier, it was very pretty. It’s orange with white stripes” Haruta explained

Acelia raised her brow, are they looking for Nemo?

“We’re having a contest, the first one to find and catch the fish will have the whole week off”

“Oh that sounds good, I take it that you’re the referee?” she asked Namur

Namur smiled, “Competitions like this tend to swing to the dangerous side especially when these devil fruit users are involved. Someone will have to save them when they fall into the water”

Eventually she joined Haruta’s side and looked for Nemo. She could hear the three commanders taunting each other behind her.

“You’ll lose this time birdie” Ace remarked

“Don’t push it kid.” Marco replied

At the corner of her eye, she saw nemo swimming at a crevice near the reef edge. Acelia excitedly turned to call for Haruta but the two taller commanders were quick to read her and raced to run towards her.

Everyone was splashing and holding each other so they won’t reach her.

“Harutaaa! Stop them!” she yelled and turned to the water to catch the fish who remained in sight despite the commotion. Haruta was able to tackle Ace and hold him down, Namur was laughing instead of helping the drowning Ace.

Acelia carefully looked for a part of the reef where she could support herself or she’s going to fall into the deeper part. The splashing continued behind her and she gently scooped nemo into her hands. When she turned, Marco was almost upon her, skin wet from the frolicking. There was something about his gaze that made her heart thump loudly. Realizing he’s about to take the fish from her, she impulsively took a step back and fell into the deeper part.

Fortunately, someone pulled her to the surface and was suddenly pressed into Marco’s chiseled chest. She gasped for air and coughed as Marco held her tightly and carried her to shore.

“Are you alright Acelia?” Marco asked and she nodded. He carried her to Izou and Thatch where they set her down on a beach towel on the sand.

“Are you okay?” Ace and the others asked

“I’m fine” Acelia said, “was that one of the caves?

“Yeah ” Marco answered

“So I guess no one wins the contest huh?” Ace said, sounded disappointed, “I was really looking forward to beating the birdie”

“As much as I’d like to kick your ass, the sun’s setting and it will be more dangerous if we continue”

“I agree with Marco” Namur said, “We could have another contest some other time”

Little did they know, Acelia was still holding nemo on her hands. She whispered to Haruta to come closer and the child commander screamed in glee when he saw it. Haruta took the fish from her and showed it to the other commanders.

“Hah! I win!” he proudly said and the other two looked at Acelia

“Hey that’s unfair!!” Ace exclaimed and chased after Haruta

“I guess we have a winner” Marco and Namur chuckled

“Alright children, time for dinner!” Thatch called out and set the dishes he cooked on a long table they set up on the sand. Marco helped her up and walked with her towards the table where the rest the rest of the crew are.

“You know, let’s just forget about what I said” Acelia told him

Some part of Marco told him that he should just say his feelings for her but majority told him that it’s for the best. They are not yet ready.

“Alright” He simply said, if this is what would take their relationship back to before then he’ll take it.


	15. Traitor

Izou sat beside Thatch who was looking at the chest he looted from the island earlier.

“What did Namur say about it?” Izou asked as her lover took the black devil fruit in his hands

“He said it might be the Yami yami no mi or something. I don’t think I want to eat it, something feels off about it”

“If it makes you uncomfortable, you should throw it out to the sea or sell it”

“Hmm, maybe I’ll go take a walk and think about it.” Taking the chest, he stood up and gave Izou a peck on her forehead

“Alright, don’t stay up late. The bed feels cold without you”

* * *

Ace and Marco were drinking at the main mast’s crow’s nest

“Little brother” Marco exclaimed and Ace was laughing his ass off, he’s never seen Marco this drunk. “I’m going to confess my undying love and sing lots of love songs to her!”

“Please don’t” Ace was huffing and wiping his tears from laughing. “She might throw you to the sea”

Ace thought they were just going to have a casual drink but he realized that they were going to drink till they drop when they snuck in and stole 4 bottles of hard liquor from Curiel’s stash.

“Then what do you suggest I do my good sir?” Marco took a swig, normally, he wasn’t affected by alcohol because of his phoenix’s powers, and the same goes with Ace who burns out the alcohol from his system. But they were chugging like the liquor is water, and they’re both drunk.

Ace put his hand around Marco’s shoulders, “Haha! What you should do is take her on a date on the next island”

“A date? Is that what young kids do this days??”

“Big brother, I think you’ve spent so much time in the brothels that you don’t know what romance is anymore”

“I am not some gentleman Ace. I am a pirate. She should go out with a noble instead, someone who can take her to dinners and give her flowers and chocolates. Someone your age, not some old fart”

Ace could feel Marco’s hesitation. At first he was furious that Marco rejected Acelia, she was like a walking dead for the past week, even Pops was worried. But when he heard Marco’s side. He kind of understood.

“You know, it’s best if you confess not looking this drunk” Ace suggested and drank from the bottle in Marco’s hand as his is already empty.

“She’s decided to forget everything and I don’t want to destroy our relationship as Pops’ children. We’re back to normal, she’s talking to me like before and I think that’s enough for me” Marco took the bottle back and drank

All of a sudden the emergency bell rang. They looked at the once empty deck now bustling.

Both men, quickly used their powers and cleared the alcohol. They descended to Vista who was giving orders around.

“What happened?” Marco asked

“It’s Thatch he’s been stabbed and according to Izou, the devil fruit he got was gone.”

Marco and Ace were enraged, only one of their own could have done it. They were the only pirate crew docked in the island.

“Check all divisions” He commanded, “Have a head count and report immediately who is missing. Check all routes of escape. Scour the island as well.”

The crew heard his orders and followed them, Ace and Vista went to their respective divisions.

* * *

Acelia had never treated a wound this deep before. There were two stab wounds that went through his abdomen and he was losing blood fast. She needs to think, Odette is at one of the sister ships, she had no one to help her. If she does not act soon, Thatch will have a hypovolemic shock.

Izou was beside her putting pressure on Thatch’s wound and looking at her, pleading to save him.

“Prepare 4 units of blood with his blood type” She instructed the nurses the she took a deep breath and began the surgery. With a deep wound, she had to move fast, her hands were trembling but she has to do it for Thatch, for her family. The wound was very deep, the blade that stabbed him went through his back. The one who did it made sure that Thatch would have a slim chance of surviving. Taking the suction and suture, she proceeded to work.

After four hours of waiting outside the infirmary, Izou’s heart pounded as the door opened. Acelia came out still bloody from the surgery.

“How’s Thatch??” Vista asked, he was waiting together with Izou, Fossa and Curiel.

She weakly gave them a thumbs up, “Thatch has pulled through” and the men gave sighs of relief. And Izou began crying.

She went back in and check on Thatch again, machines are now connected to him monitoring his heartbeat and breathing, she could tell that he’s doing well even though he lost a lot of blood. Acelia was feeling tired as well, it drained her physically and emotionally. She’ll probably sleep like a rock after this but she wants to stay with Thatch so she decided to return to her room to change into a clean shirt and went back to bunk on the nearby beds beside Thatch and drifted to sleep

* * *

A gentle rocking of the ship awoke her. Did they set sail?

The room was dark and she was not in the infirmary any longer. She could hear voices of men just outside of the room. Are they still looking for the culprit?

She stood up towards the door and just as she was to reach for the handle, she felt a metal tugging on her feet. She switched on the light and frowned when she saw a metal cuff on her feet chaining her to the bed. Her body immediately went on alert mode, something is wrong. It felt like she wasn’t in the Moby. The door creaked open, she felt a little bit of relief but a bad feeling filled her chest.

“Teach, what is going on?” She asked as Teach can into view, holding a plate of food and placed it on the night stand

“You’re awake, Miss Acelia. You’ve been asleep for a long time. We thought you’re not going to wake up”

“Where are we? We aren’t in Moby right? Did they catch the one who stabbed Thatch?”

“Not yet. Zehahahaha” Teach laughed, “And I don’t think they won’t”

“What do you mean?” Acelia questioned the black bearded man who just grinned at her.

“Because, miss, we’re already a few miles from them. They won’t be able to catch me once we land on an island.”

It dawned on Acelia what was happening. Her hands trembled with anger.

“You—! You were the one who stabbed Thatch and stole the fruit!” she lunged on him but was held back by the chain

“Woah there, Miss Acelia. No need to be violent. Those chains will stop you anyway. Zehaha” Teach moved out from her reach

“What made you do this?! Thatch is family and Ace trusted you”

“Apparently, Commander Thatch did not realize the power of this fruit” Black flames appeared on his hands, “With this, I could be stronger than Whitebeard and find the One Piece”

Acelia stared at him with horror. She couldn’t believe he would kill a crewmate just for power. It enraged her more, Thatch almost died. 

“Wait till Pops will find you. Marco and the others will” she said

“I’m afraid they wont. They’re still probably hang up on the false trails I placed on the island. It was tricky setting them up, Commander Marco is a smart one. But it was worth it, two days later, they still hadn’t caught up to us.”

She stiffened, this man had everything planned.

“Now stay put Miss Acelia, we need the hostage to be safe and sound.”

“Hostage?”

“Zehaha, in order for me to become more powerful and get a pirate fleet of my own. I need to be a Warlord first so the Marines won’t get my head. And that goes the same with Whitebeard, I need some sort of leverage so he won’t come killing me. Zehahaha. Be a good girl and don’t try anything rash” Teach closed the door and heard the lock click.

What in the world is she going to do? She surmised that they’re in the middle of the ocean at the moment so escaping would be the least option.

“I have to think of something” she muttered to herself, the room was empty aside from the bed and nightstand, she opened the drawers and saw nothing of use. There was a small window that showed the night sky.

If what Teach said is true, Pops and the others had little to no chance of catching up. Even if Marco will fly and Ace will sail with Striker, they would take some time finding the boat’s location. She’s stuck in the boat, chained in sea stone and captive to traitors.


	16. Find You

The air that filled meeting room was grim. Ace could feel their distress and anger but the other commanders knew that Ace was the one who was affected the most. Teach was under his division after all, joining the traitor was two from Curiel’s division and one from Fossa’s.

At first he didn’t believe it but when they searched his bunk, all of his belongings were gone. It’s been two days since he and Marco almost destroyed the island and realized that the trail Teach left was a feint. It’s also been two days since Acelia disappeared.

“I think Teach is the one who took Acelia” Vista said “The nurses said they last saw her sleeping beside Thatch in the infirmary”

“He might be using her as hostage” Curiel inferred, a logical explanation is what they needed right now

“How are we sure that she’s not Teach’s accomplice?” Fossa asked and everyone even Pops looked at him with boiling irritation. Marco could feel his inner phoenix ready to pounce on his brother.

Izou defended icily, “Then Thatch would have been dead. She just saved his life. I think it’s not right to think of her as a traitor”

“Either way, we have no idea where they are now” Marco explained, “The trail caught us off guard”

“Did Teach use one of our boats?” Pops asked

“No and it’s one thing that led us off. Some crew members said that he stored a boat in the storage bay a few months ago” Haruta answered

“It seems like he had it planned. All what’s left is obtaining a powerful devil fruit” Ace gritted his teeth. “I want to chase after him Pops”

Whitebeard could feel the conviction in Ace’s words but something did not feel right to him. As much as he wants Acelia recovered and the traitor dead, his instincts told him that Teach should not be taken lightly.

“Ace, there’s no need for you to go alone” Pops said, “We’ll set out a search party for them. You’ll just be going in circles without knowing where they are”

“I have Striker, I can sail faster than a normal ship”

“Ace—“

The fire user walked out of the room, determined to find them. The other commanders could stop him but they knew nothing will change Ace’s mind.

“I’ll go talk him out of it” Izou followed Ace

Marco closed his eyes, he would very much like to fly and look for Acelia but he still has an obligation in Moby. There’s nothing he could do but put his trust in Ace

* * *

Two weeks had passed and Acelia was chained to the bedpost of another ship. They’ve been jumping from island to island, changing boats so Pops wont be able to find her. She tried escaping once or twice or thrice whenever they docked but in the end she couldn’t do anything with the sea stones shackled to her feet and now her hands.  
Teach kept her well fed, “Zehahaha, there's no point if the hostage is malnourished” he said

She ate whatever he gave, she needed the stamina after all once the right time strikes. They were careful not to give her sharp objects like a knife and fork and the bowls and cups were unbreakable. Teach was very cunning, he made sure there’s no chance of escape.

And here she is all curled up to the bed. Two weeks and they weren’t able to find her. But she couldn’t lose hope and rely on them for rescue. They were currently sailing to a country known as Alabasta, she didn’t know where it is but she will try to run away from Teach again once they land.

* * *

Marco could not concentrate on his current work at the moment, it has always been that way ever since Acelia disappeared. Ace called though the den den mushi a week before confirming that she was indeed taken by Teach when some witnesses in the islands he passed by saw a woman of her description travelling with him but they had no idea to where he’s headed next.

“Hey brother, you busy?” Thatch opened the first division commander’s and entered carrying a tray of food. He was alive and healthy and Marco was very thankful that he is.

“You aren’t eating properly, you skipped dinner again” his brother nagged and placed the tray on his table

“And you should be resting”

“I’m fine now, thanks to Acelia. It felt like I wasn’t even stabbed, like not even a scar was present” Thatch exaggerated as he put a hand on his abdomen. “But I’m worried about you, you’ve haven’t been sleeping well. It may have been better if you will be the one to find her”

“You know I cant leave the ship—“

“What are you saying you moron? We are grown men, and Pops is still kicking and screaming. The ship can be handled without you”

Thatch gave him a slap on his back then left the room.

Every part of him would want to go and find her but with the burden of Ace’s duties passed on to him and running the ship as well as keeping an eye on Pops, he cannot leave.  
But Shanks visited Pops earlier during the day and warned them of Teach and how powerful the devil fruit he ate was. Ace might also be in danger.

He took a deep breath, it was the hardest decision he had ever done.

Marco stood up and packed a small bag with a few clothes, maps and essentials. He strapped a log pose on his wrist. He left his room and went to Pops’ room to talk to him but instead he found him in the circle steps, looking at Marco with a proud but worried glint in his eyes.

“Go” Whitebeard said

Without looking back, he transformed into his phoenix form and flew away.

“I expected him to be more resilient but it seems a little push is just what he needed” Thatch appeared beside Whitebeard

“Gurara, he’ll find her. If it’s Marco then he’ll definitely bring her back”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okaaay. so this is where my current progress ends.  
How are you liking the story so far?
> 
> Sorry for the cliff hanger, i will be uploading new chapters in a day or two.  
I hope you're still enjoying the story.
> 
> Comments and suggestions as well as corrections are welcome. :)  
Thank you for reading. :)


	17. Almost there

She was losing hope. It’s been weeks and they haven’t found her yet.

Acelia stared at the small window of her room overlooking the chaos. They’re in an island at the moment, where she was locked in a hotel while the rest of her kidnappers desecrated the whole town. She closed her eyes as explosions and screams filled her ears.

She tried to imagine the Moby Dick which was probably a thousand miles away. She thought of the crew and her family, she always thought of them for the past month that she was away.

A small thought crossed her head—is Marco still looking for her right now?

Her heart is slowly wavering and yet strongly yearning for Marco. Despite being rejected, she would like to see him again and every night she would wish for him to save her.  
She remembered the first night when the traitors who were with Teach came into her room and molested her. Her strength to fight them off and not cry was dwindling but she would not let them have their way. Teach doesn’t seem to mind, he just lets them do what they want as long as she’s alive in the end.

He also recruited other people into his crew, there was a man who called Lafitte who was the one who stopped her from escaping the night before. There was also a large man called Burgess who would drag her around when they were in land. Trying to escape was useless because they'll just eventually catch up to her.

The mirror at the far end of the room reflected her bruised face, a new trophy for trying to escape when they docked on the last island. It looked fresh and blue and it kind of throbbed with pain. Her arms and legs are at the same state as well, new bruises covered the yellowing old ones. Her feet was scraped and bleeding due to the cuffs.

Acelia smiled sadly, she probably looked horrible. What would Izou say?

She slowly laid down to sleep and hissed at the pain at her sore side where they kicked her earlier, thankfully, none of her ribs were broken. Tears had threatened her eyes since long ago but she did not dare to let them fall. She still clung to that small hope that they’ll come for her.

* * *

Ace was getting close, he could barely hide his anger. Striker roared and glided over the water as fast as it could. After talking to a fisherman whom Teach bought his boat from, he did not waste any time and immediately headed out. He might be able to reach Acelia this time and kick the bastard’s ass. Marco rang from a den den mushi earlier and told Ace to wait for him but Banaro island was an hour’s ride away and with Striker, he could reach the island in 30 minutes.

The small island finally came in sight, he decreased his fire’s intensity and headed to the less populated portion of the island to dock Striker. Then he walked towards the town, once he reached it, his stomach churned.

The buildings were either turned to rubble or set on fire. Bodies were strewn everywhere, the town’s people were running and panicking, taking what they have towards the boat on the docks. Ace grabbed a woman who panicking hysterically to the side and asked, “What the hell happened here?”

“Pi—pirates! Pirates attacked the town. Killed everyone”

“Who?” he asked further

“He said his name was Blackbeard, he engulfed the others in darkness—Have you seen my son? My son! I need to find my son!” the woman exclaimed

“Where did you last see him? I’ll go find him—“, Ace’s eyes widened as the woman dropped dead in his arms with a bullet wound at the center of her forehead. His observation haki was able to perceive and turned his body on fire in time when another bullet was fired at him

He looked at the direction of the gunner and saw a tall curly haired man holding a sniper riffle.

“Zehahaha, Don’t kill him yet Van Augur. I still need him”

Teach came out from the shadows, now wearing a pirate hat with three skulls and four crossbones. He looked different from before and it irked Ace that this man had even the guts to laugh after what he did to Thatch.

“Commander Ace! I was waiting for you. You took too long to find me” Teach smirked at him

“Bastard! Where’s Acelia??!!” Ace yelled

“Calm down , she’s safe. With maybe just a little beaten up”

Pure rage filled Ace, his whole body lit up like a flame thrower and charged towards Teach to land a punch on his face. Teach was thrown in to a building.

“Forgot that you pack quite a punch, Zehaha.” He wiped the blood from his mouth, “Join me Ace! Join my crew and we could be more powerful than Whitebeard and even find the One Piece”

Instead of receiving an answer, the fire logia directed a huge fire ball to his direction which he easily dodged.

“It’s simple really”, Teach continued, “First we have to become Warlords and giving them the pirate rookie Monkey D. Luffy would be a great gift to the marines. Don’t you think?”

“Luffy?” Ace stopped in his tracks, he flashed back to his brother and his crew in Alabasta and how proud he is that his brother became a renowned pirate. And yet bastard is talking about involving his brother to his sinister plans.

The fire in Ace was itching to incinerate him on the spot, “Luffy is my brother”

Teach raised his brow, “Oh?”

“And I won’t let you lay a hand on him” Ace said sternly

Blackbeard laughed, “I didn’t expect this kind of development and it seems you won’t side with me. Then how about you take your brother’s place instead?”

A black essence appeared on his hand and started countering Ace’s attacks. His opponent suddenly spread his darkness all over the floor and Ace was alarmed and felt something was wrong so he retreated on top of a building. He was in a disadvantage since he does not fully know the fruit's powers. He stared as stones and rubble were being sucked into the nothingness like a black hole.

“You wont be able to stop me Commander” Blackbeard smiled, he then directed a black cloud on top of Ace and the debris the black hole sucked came raining on him.

“Shit” Ace said and turned his body to fire and jumped to avoid it. He did not notice Teach coming up behind him, by the time his haki picked up, the punch already met his jaw. He quickly regained composure and began attacking again but the raining debris doesn’t seem like stopping and Teach was able to land blows on him. Ace tried to surround himself with fire but Blackbeard’s large hand clamped on his neck and all of a sudden he doesn’t feel any fire within his body anymore, he couldn’t summon it.

“The game is over” The traitor said and summoned the dark smoke to swallow Ace. But all of a sudden a blinding blue flame struck Teach’s arm and kicked him to the side.

Blackbeard’s crew stopped spectating and stood in front of their captain, preparing to fight.

Ace grinned at his back up, “Took you long enough. Did you fly or you walked like a chicken?”

“Where’s Acelia?” Marco asked

“She’s somewhere within the island, haven’t got time to find her because of this bastard” The younger commander coughed and stood up.

“Let’s get rid of these guys first shall we?”


	18. Flicker

A bright flash of blue awaken had awaken Acelia

-No way, could it be?-

She quickly looked out the window and saw flashes of raging orange fire and black smoke at a distance and her eyes teared up when she saw the familiar flaming blue wings joining the chaos.

Ace and Marco had come for her, they found her.

She felt happy and relieved but she was not just going to sit there either, it may be the right time to escape. Acelia quickly looked around for any objects that could help her take of the metal cuff. After a while of rummaging, she found nothing. The pirates had completely scoured the room and checked for any usable objects before she was put in there. 

There was no way she can remove the metal cuffs with her bare hands, Acelia clenched her fists and began ramming the hand cuffs into the concrete wall. Despite the pain, she continued until the metal began to deform and she was able to remove her wounded hands from it. She took a spoon from the meal tray she was given earlier and began prying the cuffs on her feet open. Acelia bit her lip as the metal sunk into her skin despite being dull but she bear with it until she heard a satisfying click.

Acelia wrapped her bruised ankles and wrists with a cloth then checked for any routes of escape. The door was locked, she tried to ram through it but it didn’t budge. The window might just be her only option but she was currently in the third floor of the building and jumping would break her legs. So she took the bed sheet and tied it to the bed post then hoisted it out of the window. The sheet only reached half until the second floor but it was a good height for a safe jump. Once she was down, she bare-footedly ran towards the town where the explosions and fighting continued. 

She passed by an empty black smith’s shop which was still filled with weapons and stopped there. Grabbing a sword which was a leather-gripped saber with a golden hilt, she whispered an apology and continued her way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter.  
Will update again the soonest.


	19. I'm Here

The whole island is burning down in flames, the former town had now turned into ruins.

Marco turned to Ace who was breathing heavily, they have been fighting for a while and he must be already tired. He looked at his opponents, they were clearly outnumbered. While Burgess and Laffitte attack them head on, their gunner would shoot at their most vulnerable spots, not to mention Teach’s devil fruit ability is giving them a hard time. He has to think of a solution before Ace reaches his limit but he could only think of Acelia right now. He’s this close to seeing her again, he cannot afford to lose.

“Marco—“Ace breathed

“Can you still fight?” Marco asked as he covered himself in blue flames, healing his previous injuries.

“That’s a stupid question, birdie” the fire user said then put his feet in flames then rocketed towards Burgess.

“It’s no use Commander Marco, you will not be able to win” Blackbeard stood across him, smiling at the thought that he will defeat them.

Marco ignored him and dodged the bullets fired towards him then flew towards the gunner to take him down. At the corner of his eye, Teach moved towards him with the black essence on his hands to attack him. He kicked the gunner then threw a huge stone towards Teach who sucked up with the darkness.

Ace was struggling with Burgess, the large man almost overpowering him. Ace didn’t seem to notice Laffitte raising his sword behind him, ready to slash him in the back.

“Ace!!” Marco warned and shifted to run towards him but Blackbeard threw back the large stone towards him.

Both commanders heard the sound of swords clashing together behind Ace. Everyone in battlefield looked to see Acelia parrying Laffitte’s sword with hers. Teach and the others were shocked to see her, she was supposed to be locked up.

“Acelia!!” Ace gave her a toothy grin and turned his attention back to Burgess who was about to pound him to the ground with a huge mace.

“You!!” Laffite exclaimed, “How did you remove the cuffs??” and pushed the swords towards Acelia’s neck. Her appearance was least expected by the opponent, she was just a weak girl to them and shouldn’t be able to escape. Yet here she is, masterfully holding the sword against him.

She only gave the fire logia a small smile as she slid her sword from the pressure, and swung with the intent to cut Laffitte’s arm off. He immediately jumped away but Acelia quickly moved to thrust her sword towards him, catching him off guard and slicing the side of his abdomen.

Laffitte flinched, is this really the weak woman who they just dragged around? Her calmness and movements are different. He tried to attack again but she moved agilely and swung her sword almost slitting his neck. When he dodged to the side, she came up quickly behind him and a strong punch connected to his stomach. He felt fear as Acelia’s eyes looked at him with cold rage.

At a distance, the lost lovers’ eyes met. Marco’s breathing became unsteady, his heart was beating loudly, his ears ringing, almost deaf to his surroundings and could only look at the woman in front of him. Acelia was looking at him at the same longing, they have waited too long for this.

“Ace!!” Marco yelled, “Party’s over. Move your ass!!”

“Roger that Commander!!” Ace went to grab Acelia in his arms and the three children ran towards the cliff.

“Stop them!!” Teach shouted at his crew. Burgess and Laffitte came running after them and Teach let out a large smoke of darkness but they were too late as the three jumped off the cliff.

Marco came emerging later in his full phoenix form, carrying Acelia in his talons. Striker roared into life in the water as Ace fired it up, escaping from the island. Teach ordered Van Augur to shoot them but Ace’s fire kept the bullets from hitting them. Blackbeard gave an angered bellow.

* * *

They landed on an island near the Calm Belt with a considerable distance from Blackbeard after flying and sailing for hours. Once Ace docked Striker, he collapsed on the shore.

“Ace!!” Acelia quickly ran to him and dragged him further inland. She hurriedly checked his vitals and was relieved when it was normal. There were wounds and bruises all over his body that were not fatal but he had three broken ribs.

Marco went to Striker to get Ace’s first aid kit and gave it to Acelia then he headed to the island’s forest to find a possible shelter. She immediately treated his wounds and bandaged his torso, she checked for any more wounds and possibilities of internal bleeding but he seems fine.

The first division commander came back a few minutes later and carried Ace towards a small cave he found at the foot of the island’s mountain which was near a waterfall. Acelia grabbed the blanket Ace stored in Striker and wrapped him up to protect him from the cold night.

Marco turned into a Phoenix again and carried Striker near the water fall and anchored it in the stream. Leaving it on the shore might give their position. They made a bonfire which proved to be difficult since their firecracker was out cold but Marco seems to be knowledgeable about it and easily started one to warm them up.

The two of them stayed around the fire, not saying anything to each other.

But Marco was looking at Acelia the whole time as she took care of Ace, she had become thinner and there are dark circles under her eyes. What’s noticeable are the bruises that marked her arms and legs as well as her face, her ankles and wrists have marked wounds that the metal cuffs imprinted. Her feet have cuts as well from running barefoot.  
He clenched his fists, he should have killed every single one of them.

“Are you injured?” Her worried face came into view, he shook his head.

His devil fruit was able to heal majority of his wounds and after a little rest the serious ones will be healed. He took her hand and lead her to the shallow stream and began cleaning her body, removing the blood and dirt. His touch was gentle, careful not to press over the bruises. Once they were done, he made her take off her clothes and slipped into one of Marco’s clean shirts.

Acelia was in daze, Marco held her hands in his warm ones. He disinfected her wrists and wrapping them with bandages, he did the same with her ankles and feet. They could do nothing for the bruises but they will fade in time, she saw Marco’s eyes fill with anger as he caressed the bruise on her face.

A few moments later, tears fell from Acelia’s eyes. Marco took her in his arms and held her until she fell asleep.


	20. Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! Rated SPG

Ace’s groans of pain woke Acelia up, she went to check on him and gave him another dose of pain relievers and water. He started to calm down a few minutes later.

She noticed that Marco was not in the cave anymore, probably patrolling the island. The fire was getting low so she went into the forest to find some firewood which led her to the beach where she found Marco staring at the horizon. The stars could be clearly seen from the night sky and the ocean mirroring it, the waves were calm and soothing.

The blonde turned around and looked at her with a soft expression on his face and held out his hand to her. She dropped the firewood and took his hand.

“Are you alright? You should go sleep” he said but Acelia kept silent and continued to hold on to his hand. Marco put his hand on her cheek, looking directly at her eyes, slowly moved closer and kissed her.

He rested his forehead against hers, and the next words he said felt like a waved crashing over her

“I love you”

The words she always wanted to hear.

Even if it’s just this once, she hopes the sea would hear her selfish request.

Let the time stop

* * *

He kissed her again, this time more passionately unlike the chaste kiss he gave her earlier. They began taking their clothes off, eager to meet skin to skin, grabbing each other like they weren’t going to let go.

Marco’s breath hitched as Acelia lay in front of him naked on the sand, black hair sprawled. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment. He’ll have to agree with Thatch, she looked like a mermaid who traded her voice for legs. But she was not mute, he could hear her sweet moans as he touched her body.

How much he longed to take her as is. Mark her. So that he won’t lose her again.

He was sure to explore her body thoroughly, finding her weak spots. Marco liked it when she whimpered every time he would tease her nipples or touched and licked the small bud between her legs. But he liked it better when she calls out his name, it made him hard and tempted break his control. But he wasn’t going to do that, Acelia was not just anyone, she’s not like the women he would go to for pleasure. She was his.

She pleaded him to take her, their skin was hot and sweaty and it was driving him to the limit. When he made sure she was wet enough, he nestled in between her legs and held her close when he entered her. Marco almost shuddered, it was the best feeling he ever had but he stiffened when he saw fresh tears in her eyes but she was smiling fondly at him and shook her head, she won’t let him stop and he obliged.

He continued moving in her, giving her all the pleasure. She won’t stop saying his name and it was driving him crazy. Every thrust sent electricity in her body, she didn’t know it felt that good while doing it with the one you love. They continued their sweet dance until Marco released inside of her. They lay there in the sand, all sweaty but happy. Marco kissed her again sweetly and held her close to him as they looked at the stars.

“So sister huh?” she began

“Please don’t bring that up” Marco groaned, making Acelia laugh

“I guess this counts as incest?” she teased further and the older male frowned at her then began to tickle her.

“Don’t say it like that”

She laughed and put her arms around him, “I love you too Commander.”

Marco kissed her again, “You know, pirates have a habit of wearing jewelry.” He said

“Hmm?”

“It’s like an insurance, so when a pirate dies, they can sell off the jewelry to pay for the burial”

“Wow, that’s smart”

The commander removed the gold ring he wore in his left pinky and slipped it in Acelia’s ring finger which fit perfectly.

“What? Marco—“Acelia sat up

“I’m giving my life to you. This is my insurance. So, will you give me yours as well?”

The tears she had were no longer of pain but of happiness, she never thought she’ll even find happiness in this foreign world, that someone would accept her. Marco brushed away the tears and smiled at her.

Why does it seem like happiness comes in small things rather than in big ones?


	21. Just a Dream

The annoying sound of her alarm clock rang in her ears, it stirred her awake.

“Marco, can you please turn that off” she muttered but the alarm clock continued ringing.

“Marco” she called out again but still no reply. So she sat up and turned off the damned thing herself and instead of seeing the blue ocean in front of her, she was staring at her room, back in her house.

Her eyes widened, “Wait, what?” confusion filled her brain, she was certain she was with Marco until now. Is she dreaming? The island is nowhere to be seen and the cave they stayed in was out of sight. There was no Ace or Marco. Just her room filled with medical books and stacks of paper. Her phone pinged on her bedside table, she grabbed it and opened a text from her mother to call her once she wakes up.

Acelia dialed her mom’s number and heard a voice she hadn’t heard in months, “Hello Acelia, you’ve woken quite early today. You should sleep more to compensate for the all nighters you had for you exams”

She kept quiet, still confused. What is happening? 

“Dear? You’re finished with your exams right? Maybe you could have a rest day today and eat out instead of those instant noodles you’ve been eating” Her mother continued. 

“Acelia?”

It broke her thoughs. “Uhm—yes mom. I’ll be sure to do that” she said

“Good, I’ll call you again later. I still have to help your father fix the drain. See you dear. I love you”

“Love you too Mom”

There was no way everything was just a dream. Acelia stood up, opened her windows and city landscape she grew up in came into view not the vast sea she was used to seeing after waking up everyday in the ship.

“No” she whispered and opened the front door. Instead of Thatch and Ace who would usually greet her when she came out of her room, she saw her street where children who are going to school passed by. Her neighbor opposite her house waved at her, she waved back and smiled weakly and returned back in.

She stood at her hallway in shock. She was stepping in tiled floors instead of the wooden deck, she was back in her cozy apartment. The rowdy atmosphere of Moby Dick was gone, her house was silent. 

“No way” she whispered again as tears threatened to fall. She pinched herself thinking that she might be dreaming, but it did nothing. Her phone pinged again, this time it was her friend inviting her to take a vacation in the Bahamas. She stiffened, she was back a week before she went on vacation and was dragged by a riptide. 

“Please take me back” she pleaded but only silence answered her. Marco is the only one she could think off. “Please”

She sat in the hallway, her mind still figuring out what happened. Did the sea decide to take her back home? Or was it just a long dream? She tucked her legs to her chest and placed her head on top of her knees. When she closed her fists, she felt a foreign object between her fingers.

Tears fell as she saw Marco’s ring on her hand, their promise wasn’t a dream after all. Her heart felt like it was stabbed, she wants to go back. She wants to go back to him, to Pops, to Moby.


	22. In this storm

Three years have passed and Acelia eased back into her world. The first few months were the darkest, nightmares haunted her every single day and she couldn’t eat or sleep properly. Her studies were getting affected as well. It worried her family and friends, telling her to get some help but she refused. 

She would be lying is she said she accepted everything right away. She spent a lot of time trying to find a way to get back, reading all kinds of stuff and even occult but there was nothing. She even considered letting a riptide drag her again. If everyone in Moby would see her now, they’ll probably scold her for being so weak-hearted. Sometimes she could hear Ace’s voice encouraging her, telling her to fight. And little by little, she recovered. It took her a lot of courage to stand up, to continue living.

The strong longing to go back receded as she put her priorities in place. Sometimes Acelia will wonder if they’re all doing well. If Pops was still taking his medicine properly or if Ace recovered from the wounds he had from Teach, did Izou and Thatch get married? Did Marco find another girl to love? 

She’s a doctor now, working in a private hospital near the sea. It was one of the reasons why she chose to work there, somehow she could not completely detach herself from the ocean. She felt like she was still linked to them through the abyss of water.

“Doctor Acelia, here’s that chart of the patient you requested” A nurse handed her a metal clipboard in the hallway

“Thank you and please tell me if there are any updates on the microbiological culture and sensitivity test of the patient’s sputum sample.” She said, the nurse nodded

She entered the doctors’ quarters and took a seat at her table. Acelia assessed the x-ray file of her patient who just developed a community-acquired pneumonia. 

A female colleague of hers suddenly called out, “Aren’t you on night duty today Acelia?” 

“Yeah, I just went in early to check on the my patient who had CAP”

The doctor across her table groaned, “Most of the patients today are respiratory cases. The cold makes us really susceptible.”

“I really wish for a cuddle buddy”

“Find a wife not a bed warmer you moron”

Acelia chuckled with the other doctors, they kind of remind her of Izou and Thatch.

“Doctor Acelia is married right?” one doctor asked, “You always wear that gold ring on your finger”

“Hmm? Oh this? It’s a gift from someone important. I’m not really married”

They looked at her curiously, obviously not believing her reason but they brushed it off instead.

“Say Acelia, what’s the weather gonna be tonight?” 

They all looked at her in anticipation. Old habits probably die hard, she never forgot the knack of observing weather patterns which she learned from Ace, she might not be great at it but she was accurate most of the time. Her colleagues would always ask for her to predict the weather.

She looked at the window, thick cumulonimbus clouds began to fill the darkening sky. “There’s probably a blizzard tonight.”

“Oh man, I knew it, the snow was getting heavy earlier this afternoon” The doctor beside her sighed.

“Well, that’s what our weather woman said, better get home early kids” 

They began packing up their things to time out and the other night duty doctors went in for their shift.

“Good thing you’re on night duty today. The blizzard should dissipate by the time your shift ends. Keep safe okay?” 

“I will. Be careful and drive safely” She smiled.

The blizzard came in later that night which seemed to be a strong one, the world outside was white with snow and the wind was howling. She had an emergency surgery of a man who crashed his car in the storm that lasted for a few hours. After the patient was stable, she went on and made her rounds, chatted with the stranded people in the hospital for a bit then went back to her quarters.

She was alone, the other doctors are probably busy with their patients. Exhausted with work, she decided to have a cup of coffee. Acelia went into the pantry which had a window that overlooked the sea, the waves are furious as they crashed on the stone cliffs near the hospital.

“Doctor” A nurse entered the quarters, “There’s someone looking for you”

“For me? Is it a patient?” She asked and followed her into the corridor

“No miss, but he said he’s your acquaintance. He’s waiting for you at the consultation room. Should I call security?”

“No, it’s alright, thank you”

Acelia frowned, who would come to look for her at 2 am in this blizzard? She passed by some nurses who were giggling about a handsome blonde man who came into the hospital but she ignored it and headed to the consultation room. It might be one her friends or a past patient, but she should have called security just in case. Her hand twisted the door knob and opened the door but just stood in the doorway when she saw who her visitor was. Her heart almost stopped.

“Hey” Marco sat there, nursing 2 cups of coffee on the table. It was Marco there was no mistaking it. There’s no way she could forget that blonde hair, sea blue eyes and that sheepish grin. But the years of being apart made her doubt it. He looked different, his hair was longer, the unbuttoned shirt and sash was gone. Replaced by a white dress shirt and black pants. There was a black coat hanging behind his chair.

She closed the door and crossed her arms, “Take off the shirt”

“Woah there my lady. I don’t think this is the right place for that” Marco raised his brow and put up his hands in defense but he smiled at her coyly.

“I'm not going to have sex here, you pervert. Unbutton your shirt” she ordered

“Who is the pervert now?” He sighed and began removing the buttons. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw Whitebeard’s jolly roger tattooed on his chest.

“Okay, I think I’ve seen enough, you can button it back again”

He pretended to sound disappointed as he buttoned up his shirt, “You’re not going to continue?”

Acelia took a seat across him and Marco gave her the other cup of coffee. Despite their calm demeanor, Marco’s heart was thundering in his ears the moment Acelia stepped into the room, she had grown up, more mature than she was when he met her. Her black hair was long now, styled into a ponytail. The white coat she wore did not hide her figure and she was attractive as ever.

“It’s been years” he said

“Yes, three years” she nodded

“For you. It’s been ten years for me. I heard time flows differently between our worlds” Marco explained

Silence filled the room, Acelia took a sip of the coffee.

“How is Pops?”

“Pops died a year after you-uh-disappeared, he died during the final war for the One Piece. Monkey D. Luffy is the new Pirate King”

“Luffy? Ace’s brother?”

“Yeah. When the war was over, our crew had disbanded. Most of the commanders settled in Pops’ hometown and Ace became the King of Alabasta”

“Ace is a king?? Don’t tell me he married Alabasta’s princess?” she was perplexed, a lot sure has happened within the 10 years that she was gone. “How about you? What did you do in those 10 years? Did you get married as well?”

Marco looked at her, “I settled in Pops’ place as well, I became a doctor. A few years later, I left the island.”

“Where’d you go?”

“I set out to find you”

A swirl of emotions filled her chest, the feelings she harbored years ago were now coming into the surface as she looked at the man she loved once, or maybe she loved until now.

“How about you?” Marco asked, “Did you get married?

Acelia lifted her left hand to show him the gold band on her ring finger.

“I see. Do you have kids?—“The commander’s voice sounded sad and Acelia kicked his leg from under the table.

“It’s your ring, you idiot” she said and Marco looked at her with amusement

“My ring? You never married?”

“Yes, I was waiting for the idiot who gave me this ring to come and find me.”

He was about to say something when her phone pinged, work was calling for her.

“Will you—uhm—wait for me? I have a patient to attend and my shift will end in a few hours” she asked

Marco simply smiled, “I’ll wait”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost there.
> 
> Thank you for reading this far. I hope you enjoyed the story so far.  
Will update again the soonest.
> 
> Comments and suggestions are always welcome.


	23. Home

Ace stood in the palace terrace, looking over the desert city. He cracked his neck and sighed, he was buried in paper work and dragged into meetings the whole day. Sometimes he wished that he’d go back to being a pirate, being a king doesn’t suit him at all.

He would often take breathers like this late at night and remember the adventures he had while he was still at sea, with Pops and the family. As much as he would like to sail again, he has now a new obligation, a kingdom to protect. His life in the sea is over, age is also starting to catch up with him even though he still possesses the Mera mera no mi, his body is not youthful as it was before.

“Ace?” he heard his wife’s voice calling for him. He looked at the blue-haired fairy approach him and joined him in the terrace. 20 years of marriage and he still could not believe Vivi was his. He put his arm around her and they both watched the city.

“How are the kids?” he asked

“They’re already asleep. Ann wanted you to tuck her to bed but you were busy so she fell asleep waiting”

He was thankful that his wife is a wonderful mother and an amazing queen, she gave birth to their son, Reidel, born 5 years after their marriage and Ann, who was born 4 years ago. He wished Pops lived to see his grandchildren.

“I saw Reidel reading books on navigation and practicing charting maps. He said he wants to go out to sea. Honestly, despite looking like me, he’s more like you” Vivi continued

Ace chuckled, “Leave him be Vivi, he’s at that age where he wants to explore. Some people really have an affinity with the sea”

They enjoyed each other's company for a while, in the calm evening breeze of Alabasta.

“We should head in, you still have a meeting tomorrow” his wife reminded, he nodded and followed her back in

He was about to enter his room when a blue flicker caught his eye. It seemed to come from the palace gardens, he became wary, thinking that somebody is infiltrating the palace but instead he saw a large blue phoenix sitting at the water fountain, under his wing is a woman who he remembered as an important person in his life.

The blue phoenix transformed into the man he looked up to as a pirate and until today. They did not age a bit, they still looked the same when he last saw them years ago. Both of them were giving him fond smiles. His heart welled up, he had always hoped they’d come back and they did.

The woman seemed to be holding something, she cooed and whispered something to it. Once Ace placed his eyes on the small bundle the woman held in her arms, tears fell down his face and ran towards them, giving them a tight hug. 

“Welcome home”

FIN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally done!!  
Thank you so much for reading this story!  
I hope you enjoyed reading it because it was really fun writing this!


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